Eye of the Storm
by HauntedAngel
Summary: Willow Tate: criminally insane, dating her best friend for some unknown reason, a knack for getting into trouble, a past that won't leave her alone, and a sister who's not so angelic any more. That's me, psychotic teenager telling her psychotic story.
1. How It Began

**A/N: **_Hey guys!! This is my new fic, Eye Of The Storm. I hope you enjoy it._

**Summary: **My name is Willow Tate, otherwise known as Cass. But when I arrived I earned the title American rebel chick. Not bad, considering I had only just arrived. Well, me and my sister, Holly. And my older brother Max. But now two years have past since we've arrived and our happy typical teenage lifestyles are about be hit by the biggest storm yet. One that will pull us all apart. One that would create a feud that would rock the little town of Taniana. And one that would nearly kill me.

Eye Of The Storm

Chapter One: How It Began...

'Holly! HOLLY!'

That's me yelling. I spend half my life yelling, mostly because its my nature to stand out, be unique. Hell, I spent half my life yelling cos I'm a complete "wildcat" as Max calls me.

Perhaps I should introduce myself. My name is Willow Cassandra Tate, and my twin sister is Holly Lavender Tate, who is absolutely nothing like me. We act different, we look different. I'm the rebellious rock chic; she's the studious straight-As babe. Okay, I admit, without sounding self-centred, we're both probably the best looking girls in the school. Holly has dark brown shoulder length hair, amazingly large brown eyes and an air of complete innocence that nobody else fifteen years old could pull off. Me...I have messy raven black hair that reaches the small of my back, deep forest green eyes and slim figure. And as Holly tells me I look like someone who doesn't take any crap. Maybe it has something to do with the clothes I wear.

'Damnit Holly, what the fuck do I have to do to get your fuckin' attention!?' I shrieked at my sister, who was bending over her desk trying to complete her assessment as soon as possible. We were new to the small town of Taniana, having only just moved here two weeks ago, and school has only just started. As in started yesterday. _And_ we already have homework. How shitty is that?

'Piss off Will.' She mumbled, scribbling something out.

I gasped in mock shock. 'You swore! Oh my god, she swore! Max! Mom! Dad! It's amazing! Holly the saint just SWORE at me!' I shrieked at the top of my voice. I received a "shut up" from Mom, a shake of the head from Dad and Max just burst out laughing from his desk. Max is sixteen years old, and is constantly looking out for us. Well, Holly, anyway. He's already told me I don't need looking after.

Holly ignored me, trying to hide the blush that had crept up her neck. I spared her from more teasing on my part (she's my twin, what d'you want me to do??) and sat at my desk, in between Holly and Max. We were in the study, where me, Holly and Max work and study and do homework, while listening to the radio. I don't think Max is doing homework, probably just playing games on his laptop. His happy-go-lucky attitude means play first, work later. I think he has the right idea. So I doodled while I waited for Holly to finish her homework, so that we could go out and walk Ruby (my massive German Shepard) and Cassie (Holly's border collie) and check out the area.

'Done!' Holly chirped, finishing the sentence in a neat flourish.

'Finally!' I sighed, jumping up and dragging Holly out of her seat. 'You are _not _going out in your school uniform!' I added, dragging her upstairs to our bedroom and throwing her a pair of blue jeans, a white tank top and her favourite black denim jacket. She pouted at me, and began to get changed. I stared at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a pair of baggy black combats, a red sleeveless top and my favourite leather jacket. My hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. I pouted at my reflection and applied more black eyeliner and clear lip gloss.

'C'mon then Holly!' I chirped, as Holly pulled her brown hair into a half ponytail and clipped it into place. She jumped up, whistled loudly, and smiled brightly at me. Sometimes I can't help but be really fond of this girl.

Ruby and Cassie hurtled into the room, Ruby jumping up at me and knocking me clean off my feet. Rubes nuzzled my neck affectionately. I grinned, ruffled the fur on her head, and picked myself up. Holly was scratching Cassie behind the ear.

'C'mon Rubes.' I told the overexcited German Shepard, who had obviously realised that we were taking her on a walk. She was thumping her tail against the floor. It sounded like a brick kept falling on it. Unlike Cassie, Ruby is a well-trained police dog, so she doesn't need a lead. Cassie, however, might just be tempted to chase squirrels.

We had been walking and chatting for fifteen minutes when a bunch of boys on skateboards came into view down the quite empty street. I recognised them as guys from our and Max's classes. I glanced at Ruby and Cassie, then down to the skateboard in my hand, then back to the boys. I'm a sucker for skateboarding. Holly prefers street roller blading, which is a second favourite. But how would those boys act around us? They're not gonna ignore us, I know that much.

Ruby tensed up beside me, her careless strolling now turned into a watchful prowl. She didn't trust these guys.

We reached the boys. Holly kept sending me uncertain looks. The boys stopped in front of us, refusing to let us pass.

'What?' I asked in an irritated voice. Holly's large brown eyes were pleading with me now.

'Aw, c'mon babe, don't be like that!' a boy with bright red hair and ice blue eyes smirked, looking me up and down with an appreciative gaze.

Holly made a point of staying behind Ruby. Ruby, in turn, plonked herself in front of Holly, and growled angrily.

'Rubes, chill.' I said to the enormous dog, before turning to the boys. 'Boy, you wanna watch yourself, you might end up with scars on that pretty face of yours.' I drawled, staring unblinkingly through forest green eyes. The others hooted and laughed.

'Oh, yeah, watcha gonna do?' he sneered back.

'Not me, sweetheart. Ruby here. She likes her meat...tender.' Again the boys laughed. Man, I'm good! Uh huh, uh huh...

'Leave her alone.' Came a voice from behind me. Holly jumped, and I looked over my shoulder. Max strolled towards us, his friends Tyson and Ray at his heels.

'_Max_,' I whined, 'I'm not a kid! What you doing here anyway??'

Max shrugged. 'Got bored.'

'So you decided to check on your little sisters?' I complained, ignoring the boys on purpose. I know they hate it when they're being ignored. Besides, Rubes has it covered.

'Sis, you _don't_ need looking after. Maybe Holly...'

'HEY!' Holly yelled indignantly. Max ignored her.

'...but not you. Especially while you're with Ruby.' he finished.

I smirked at him, knowing he was perfectly correct.

'I don't need looking after!' Holly whined.

'Are you kidding me?' Max snorted, now turning to her. 'You are a good-looking girl against violence. You are prone to dangerous boys, girl.' He turned to the boys. 'Tala, if I ever see you hassling my sisters again you are dead, got that?' he said menacingly. Max can sure be scary sometimes, but it's always me doing the beating up when someone hurts Holly. We don't seem that close, but truth is, I wouldn't be anywhere without my twin. I'd just...lose it.

'Chill Tate. Didn't know these girls were your sisters. Sorry.' He said sincerely. He turned to me. 'The name's Tala Volkov.' He said, extending a hand. I peered at his eyes suspiciously but he did seem genuinely sorry. A smile cracked on my face and I replied, while shaking his hand:

'Willow Tate. This is Holly, my twin. We are nothing like each other, but it doesn't stop her from being my sister.' There was a hidden meaning under those words and I knew he caught it: _Mess with her, and you'll regret the day you were born._

'Cool.' He replied. He gestured to the others. ' This is Bryan, Lee and Kai Hiwatari.'

I smiled at each one, who all nodded back, but I froze when I reached Kai. His auburn eyes burned into mine, as if he was seeing through me. The two-toned hair fluttered gently in the early autumn breeze. I gave him a smile, and he acknowledged it with a slight nod of his head. I looked away.

And so began the whirlwind that began and ended with Kai Hiwatari.

'Move it girl!' Holly bellowed up the stairs, strapping her roller blades onto her feet. Her hair pulled back in two bunches, a helmet placed firmly on her head. I skidded into the landing, jumped down the stairs every three steps and landed cat-like on the floor, snatched up my rucksack and hefted a red cap onto my head. Holly couldn't help but give me a disapproving look that clearly said _one day you are sooooo gonna crack your head open without any protective gear!_ Oh well, I thought as I grabbed my skateboard from the corner. It didn't really help (in Holly's eyes anyway) that my tie was so loose that it could fall apart any second, my white shirt was untucked and my skirt didn't reach anywhere near my knees.

'Oh my God. No one said that KAI lives right next to us!' I hissed at my sister when we rolled outside. There was Kai, walking towards his black Porsche Boxer S convertible. I realised I was staring and that Holly was poking me so me I jumped onto Viper, my board's nickname, and rolled casually past Kai, Holly skidding along beside me.

'Hey Kai. Nice car.' I said as we passed, causing him to look up and give me a small smile. Jeez, that's the first time I've actually seen him smile. What's wrong with the guy?

'Thanks. Nice board.'

'Now that just being patronizing!' I yelled over my shoulder as we skidded down the quite steep hill. I heard Kai chuckle before I lost sight of him.

We arrived at school ten minutes later, and despite Holly's worrying, we managed to arrive five minutes early. Kai was already there, standing with a group of boys that included Max and Tala.

'Hey Max!' I yelled as I skidded down the railings of the stairs leading to the playground. Holly was already disappearing inside. 'How d'you get here? You can't've walked and got here before us!' I said cheerily, stopping right in the centre of the boys and flipping up my board.

'Michael gave me a lift.' He replied in his normal cheerful voice.

'Lucky sod. Hey Tala, sup?' I grinned, turning to the redhead, giving him a playful punch in the shoulder. Socialising with boys was just a thing I've always done. Who needs girlfriends when boys know how to have some real fun??

'Yo, Willow! All right kid?' he said.

'Hey, cut the "kid" crap, k? You gonna give me a nickname, then use Cass.' I told, wagging a finger at him.

'Cass? Why Cass?' piped up another redheaded guy.

'Coz my middle name is Cassandra. People call me Cass all the time. What's your name, then?' I replied.

'Johnny McGregor.'

That's when I met the guy who would always be my closest and best friend. And hell, where would I be without him? Holly, Kai, Tala and Johnny. Those are the people I would need to pull me away from the thing that would consume and nearly kill me sometime in the future.

Back then I was innocent. The new chick. American chick to be precise. But that changed. It changed two years later, when I had reached the lovely age of seventeen. That's when the storm hit...

* * *

hey, so what d'you people think? Good? Not good? Don't leave me hanging here! Review...please!! Just one press of the purple button...that's all it takes...

Thanx!

Ciao people!

Chiya


	2. Not So Innocent

Hey guys, I hope you like this chapter. I've already started writing the fourth chapter for this fic, so don't fret about not getting another update in ages, which is what i tend to do.

Anyhow...on the more important matters. The fic!

Disclaimer: Did i do this last time? No? Oh, well, MUST remember. I do not beyblade, nor any of it's characters (imagine owning Kai!! Hmm...) but i do own Willow and Holly Tate! Hands off people!

Eye Of The Storm

Chapter Two: Not So Innocent

I twirled a pen idly in my hand, staring out of the window. An arm stretched around the back of my chair and wrapped itself around my waist. I turned and smiled at Johnny, who was watching me stare out of the window.

'What's the matter?' he asked softly.

'Nothing.'

'I'm not stupid, Cass.'

'Really? That's news to me.' I giggled, trying to throw him off course. But, of course, Johnny being Johnny and my best friend, wasn't deterred.

'It's Kai, isn't it?' he sighed and I briefly wondered how the guy who has only known me for two years could possibly know me as well as Holly, who is my twin.

'Yeah. I CANNOT believe he's going out with Amber! He knows I hate the bitch, is he going out with her just to annoy me?? Coz, if he is, what did I DO to piss him off!?'

Johnny chuckled, ruffling my black hair, now short and stylishly spiky with red streaks, before replying:

'Nah, don't worry Will. The guy probably thought it would be interesting.'

'Interesting!?' I exploded, huffing. 'INTERESTING????'

'Yeesh!' Johnny laughed, rubbing his ear. 'Yell a bit louder, I think they're a couple of people fifty miles away that didn't hear ya.'

I sniggered against my own will, before whacking him around the head. Holly strode into the kitchen, Kai and- OH FUCKING HELL, WHAT IS _SHE _DOING HERE!?!?

'Hello Willow.' Amber Trendson said in a sickly sweet voice, giving me a cold glare. I shot her my darkest look, before rounding on Kai.

'What is YOUR GIRLFRIEND doing in MY house????' I bellowed, causing him to stuff his fingers in his ears.

'Sorry, Will, I forgot my keys at home and my mom won't be back for ages yet.' He said with apologetic look. God, I hate when he does that...he knows it makes me lose my resolve.

'Yeah, well, what exactly does that have to do with HER?' I asked, my voice dropping back to normal now that all the fight in me had flown out the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Holly roll her eyes at Johnny.

'We were suppose to hang out a bit.' Kai replied, shrugging, although I could see the amused glint in his auburn eyes.

'Oh God, help me.' I muttered under my breath, totally aware that everyone could hear me. 'Kai's completely lost it.'

Holly and Johnny sniggered behind their hands.

'I heard that Cass.' Kai said in a bored tone.

'You were suppose to.' I shot back at him, before whirling around on my heel and storming upstairs to my bedroom. Max gave a questioning look as he poked his head around his bedroom door. I suppose he heard me tramping up the stairs.

'Amber Trendson is sitting in our kitchen.' I said shortly, before heading into my room. I threw off my uniform, which consists of a black pleat skirt, white shirt and a black and blue tie, before pulling on my blue skater jeans, a red tank top and my favourite motorbike leather jacket that been with me years and STILL fits. Good stuff, eh?

I whistled loudly, and straight away the door banged open and, once again, Ruby toppled me over.

'Hey Rubes. Fancy a walk, just you and me?' I whispered, and Ruby thumped her tail against the floor enthusiastically. 'I take that as a yes.' I laughed, heaving myself up, and grabbing my skateboard, Viper. 'C'mon then.' I headed down the stairs and back into the kitchen where Holly, Johnny and Kai were talking and Amber was staring around the kitchen distastefully.

'I'm going out.' I said, and they whirled around at the sound of my voice. Amber, upon seeing Ruby, let out a shriek and slid off the stool, hiding behind Johnny who was furthest away from Rubes. This is hilarious!!

'What is THAT!?!?' she shrieked, not noticing that Johnny was trying to shove her away from him.

Holly gave up on silent giggles and burst out laughing.

'This is Ruby. She's a German Shepard and an ex-police dog. She's gorgeous, isn't she?' I purred, winking at the others. Johnny was shaking with laughter, and Kai was avoiding my eye. Which basically meant, I'm not making eye contact with you cos I'll start laughing if I do.

'It's HIDEOUS!!!' Amber yelled.

'Don't say that.' I frowned. 'Ruby doesn't like being insulted. Once she ripped off the arm of a thief who was swearing rather violently and holding a gun to my head.'

Okay, a little fib there, but hey, do I care? She's scared witless!!

It was too much for the boys. Both burst out laughing. Something that somehow only I can manage with Kai.

'Cass.' Kai gasped through fits of laughter. 'Cass, stop teasing her. She's scared enough now.'

I giggled. 'All right, see ya guys. Laters Amber. Maybe me and Rubes will see ya around...' I left the sentence hanging and Amber let out a terrified squeak as she ran to Kai, as I left through the back door. I could still hear them roaring with laughter.

Man, that was fun.

You see, Amber Trendson and me have been enemies ever since I insulted her rather badly in the school cafeteria about a week after I first arrived. She happens to be blonde, blue eyed and quite tall. Very attractive to most boys, so with her bitchy attitude, of course she and her little gang are the most popular in the school.

But that changed slightly. Since that insult match, some girls have been looking at me with a certain amount of respect, and boys seemed to admire my looks and attitude. Of course, Holly got her fair share of attention. Being as gorgeous as she is, and majorly innocent, PLUS she's my twin, a lot boys fancy her. Especially the not so popular boys. The problem, the more popular boys, and the players, seem to keep making bets to see who can steal her innocence first.

It resulted in a lot of fights on my part. Not to mention the fact whoever I fight, Tala, Kai and Johnny ALWAYS help me out.

It also meant I've been suspended at least three times so far.

Not good for my report.

But anyways, yeah, I think the school really has been divided now. Most of the hottest looking guys and most of the school on my side, and Amber and her little groupies on the other. Unfortunately, cos she's so goddamn good looking in her Barbie wannabe way, she's pretty much remained popular. It doesn't bug me. No, what bugs me is her fucking attitude to all the not-so-popular guys. That's what I usually fight for.

It totally helps the hottest looking guy (Kai, obviously) in the school is always on my side, IF he gets involved. Which isn't often.

So you can get why I'm so pissed off with Kai for actually dating her. I know it's totally physical, it always is for him. He's a player, Johnny's a player, Tala's a player, jeez, most of our group are players. That includes Ray Kon, whom Holly is dating at the moment (Max and I have already interrogated and warned him pretty severely). Though I don't exactly have to worry there. Ray is a decent guy, even if he's a player, and hasn't had any intention of hurting Holly so far. In fact, being the gentleman he is, he asked Max and me before asking her out.

So, yeah, that's all pretty cool so far.

That was before everything with Holly and Ray went pear-shaped.

But that's later on.

Not now.

No, now, I'm going down to Oliver's parents' little café overlooking the beach. Mariah and Mariam said they'd be there for a while after school, so what better time than now to hang out with some of my only girlfriends.

'Babes!' I called, getting the attention of everyone in the café as I entered.

'Hey, Willow!!' Mariah called back from the corner of the café, our gang's little spot. Mariam sat next her, and opposite was a Kara, Kai's little sister in our year, and probably my best friend where girls are concerned.

'Hey girls, sup?' I said brightly, sitting next Kara. Oliver appeared next to me with a notepad.

'Hello Cass.' He said in his slight French accent, greeting me with a kiss on each cheek. His usual way of greeting us girls.

'Hey Ollie.' I replied, 'You been all right? Ain't seen you in ages.'

'Yup, the flu cleared up yesterday.' He said happily, running a hand through his green hair and smiling brightly at me. Oliver's smiles tend to capture any girl nearby, since it's so gorgeous. It took me a while to get over it, which I gotta say, is something! And, of course, bang on cue, several girls behind me swooned. I rolled my eyes and Oliver gave me a helpless shrug. 'So, the usual?' he asked.

The usual meant loads of chocolate ice cream and strawberry milkshake. Scrummy!!

'As always.' I replied, grinning brightly, before turning back to the girls. I let out an audible sigh.

'What's wrong Willow?' Mariam asked, concerned.

'Heh. Only Amber Trendson.' I snorted.

'What'd she do now?' Kara asked, smiling behind her glass of lemonade. She finds my enmity with Amber hilarious, though I don't have a single clue why. Maybe it was all the pranks I've pulled on her, and all the detentions Amber has managed to land me in for doing something I didn't even do. Bitch extraordinaire, huh?

'Kai turned up with her. Apparently forgot his keys. No way am I staying there with _that_!'

The two girls opposite me sniggered.

'Oh _Cass..._!' Kara sighed.

'What?! What did I do now?'

'Kai- no wait, I'm suppose to be his sister. Me no type of sis who spill secrets.' She said, deciding to forget her grammar, as she does often. On purpose. It's quite funny when she puts on the baby voice.

'Huh?'

She shook her head. 'All I can say is that you are quite blind. You can't see what's right in front of you.'

'Oh, Willow, you're hopeless. You're in for a nasty shock when you realise!' Mariah told me sympathetically.

'What _are _you on about?' I demanded. These girls confuse me more than boys, which is funny, since for everyone else it's the other way round. Hey, I told you I'm unique.

They shook their heads at me.

I have to say, I hate it when they do this kinda thing!

'Forget about it,' Kara told me, knowing perfectly well I wouldn't, 'Lets go. I'll get Kai out of your kitchen.' She said, getting up.

'I don't mind Kai being in the kitchen, just Amber! And what d'you mean "forget about it"?!?' I yelled after her, scrambling across the café and waving good-bye to the others.

The journey back to my place was rapid, seeing as Kara decided to be as quick as possible. Her skateboard skidded rapidly around the solitary people making their way through the small town, and with me skidding after her with Ruby running at my side, it was no wonder people were constantly diving out of the way. Before I knew it, we were rolling up the path to my front door, going around the house and entering the house through the back door into the kitchen. There was Kai, Amber sitting on his lap, having a rather boyish conversation about car engines with Johnny. Holly was making some toast peanut butter sandwiches.

'Kai, a word, _now!_' Kara told her brother, pulling Kai from underneath Amber and dragging him outside. Okay, only Kara could manage that.

Cassie ran up to greet us, and I scratched her head fondly. Holly and Johnny had their eyebrows raised at me, sending me silent questions. I replied with a confused shrug.

'Give us one if those sandwiches sis.'

'Magic word?'

I rolled my eyes. '_Please_!'

'You're welcome.' She said brightly, placing the plate of her delicious sandwich in front of me.

'You totally need...'

'...a life. I know, Will, but _excuse me _if I happen to prefer you being at least a little bit polite. At least I have a boyfriend.' She shot at me.

'Ohhh!' Amber crowed, loving this. I narrowed my eyes at her.

'Holly, you and everybody else knows I prefer enjoying my teenage lifestyle before I have to grow up. Why waste time with just one person when you could pull three?'

'Amen to that!' Johnny laughed.

'Wait until you find the perfect guy. Then you'll be glad.' Holly sighed.

'Yeah, but that hasn't happened yet, so why wait?' I quipped.

'She's got a point.' Johnny said. This is exactly why I love this guy!! He always stands by me, no matter what. But he does have his own opinion, don't worry about that. And it usually gets him into trouble with the teachers too. Bit like me really.

'Johnny, you're NOT helping!' Holly shot at him.

'Isn't that the whole point of me being here?'

I burst out laughing.

'So, what was up with Kara?' Johnny asked, carefully manoeuvring away from that conversation.

'Don't know, she, Mariah and Mariam went all weird on me when I said Kai had forgotten his keys and was sitting in here with _that thing_.'

'It wasn't my choice, y'know,' Amber shot back snottily, flicking back her sandy blond hair and looking at us with disgust, her lip curling. 'Who would want to come to this dump anyway?'

'Uh, a lot of people actually, including half the guys you've dated, _and _Kai.' I shot at her. 'So get used to it sweet heart.'

'No thanks, I'll just have to keep Kai away, won't I?' she said, smirking.

I stared at her in disbelief before Johnny burst out laughing. This thing, keep Kai under control? Is she that dumb??

'Trendson, no one apart from Kara and Voltaire can command Kai around, trust me on that.' Johnny snorted.

'Whatever.' She said, trying to hide the light blush that had crept upon her face.

I was still marvelling at her stupidity when Kara and Kai came back. Kai was muttering something under his breath that I couldn't hear, and Kara was looking at me weirdly. Her auburn eyes that mirrored Kai's exactly were sparkling with a sudden intensity and unheard laughter that it alarmed me. Especially since she was smirking rather evilly.

'I'm going upstairs to say to Max.' She told us, waltzing away.

Have I said that Kara happens to be soul mates with Max? Yeah, they're both often hyper, both have happy-go-lucky attitudes. It's really sweet, since they're both totally in love as well. Okay, so no one knew about it for a while until I happened to walk in on them snogging quite passionately last year, and with a couple of shoves from me, they came out into the open. Kai was annoyed that he hadn't known about it before, but when he saw them together, he totally lost his resolve. That's how happy they are together.

We groaned. The noises had started.

'They're not exactly the most silent pair, are they?' Holly sighed, scowling at the roof.

I returned to the conversation I was having with Johnny.

'I reckon you should just get Enrique to DJ.' I told him. He shook his head.

Johnny's birthday is in two weeks and we're having a massive party at his place. No adults around, so I reckon it'll be good fun. More boys to pull, anyway.

'Nah, it'd be brilliant if the Twisted Angels could play.' He replied, smiling one of his killer smiles that could send any girls falling into a pile of glup. One of the bad things about having hot boys as best friends is the fact you have to try really hard to get over their looks and charms. I'm still working on that one where Kai is concerned.

The Twisted Angels. That's the band me, Holly, Mariah and Kara formed. Holly has the voice of an angel and is the lead singer, Mariah is awesome on the bass and Kara has this amazing talent on the drums. I play the lead guitar and my vocals, while not as good as Holly's, are pretty good. We often play down in the local club, The Topaz Dragon.

'Your party, your choice. Personally I'd prefer getting drunk with best friend and pulling some cute guys but I could do that afterwards.' I grinned as Johnny swept me up in a hug. I love being hugged by Johnny; it usually makes me feel safe and content, with his strong arms wrapped around me and his chin resting on the top of my head.

'Thanks Cass!'

'No problem!' I laughed, and not for the first time, I thanked the lucky stars I had friends like Johnny.

'Holly, tell Mariah and Kara we're booked for Johnny's bash!' I chirped enthusiastically.

'Gotcha.' Holly replied, smiling. She's always glad when we have gigs; it gives her a good reason to lose herself in the music. Both of us love music with a certain passion, and we're well known for it. Holly's already on grade eight for singing, and about to take an exam for grade seven on the piano. I'm on grade eight for the electric guitar and on grade seven for the flute. We happen to make a great duet and more often then not we're playing in concerts at school. Needless to say people find this a really weird clash with my personality.

'Hey, we need to schedule rehearsal then,' Holly quipped.

'Yeah...lets find the others first and see if tomorrow at seven in the garage is good.' I said, turning to Kai to ask him if we can use his garage again for practice. He was glued to the lips of Amber. I pulled a face.

Can I kill her now, anyone?

* * *

Has anyone ever noticed that boys can be so mischievous? And that they often plan something and you know something is wrong but you just don't know what? Yeah, I get that often. And I'm usually on the receiving end on their pranks. Mostly because I'm usually up for a laugh and I don't get angry with them. Usually.

But then there are times when things get a bit too far.

It's annoying. I mean, for the last two months I've had to endure "the chase" which while it may be funny, some girls just _don't _want to snog their best friend.

Yeah, "the chase". That's what Tala named it. Nutcase. You see, Johnny has this goal to snog every cute girl in the school. The boys already wrote him up a list and the Scottish redhead had somehow managed to cross off every one of those girls.

EXCEPT ONE.

That one? Yeah, that would be me.

Can you believe it? I mean, he's already snogged Holly and all, but that's only cos I dared them to. This was before Ray, so there was no conflict there. But ME??? I don't want to snog my best friend!!! But this hasn't deterred him. Oh no, he's a player, and therefore, he shall get me. And he probably will, but that's not the goddamn point. I mean, I'm tempted, I really am. Cos Johnny is seriously cute, and has amazing violet eyes. But, well, snogging Johnny will throw my hormones into mad zone. I've happened to have experienced this sort of thing before.

When I slept with Tala.

That was, what, six months ago? No, seven. It was after Ray's birthday party, and I had to go to Tala's because it was too dark for me to go elsewhere. Tala's place is just down the road from Ray's, and we managed to get there, even it meant helping a drunk Tala down the road.

At the time I was complaining cos I was really pissed at Kai for not giving me a lift home. At the time I still had a slight crush on him so you could see why I was so upset. Anyway, seeing Tala in just his boxers really did it for me.

Having sex with Tala was simply mind-blowing. I still maintain that he is the best I've ever had, and that happened to be my first time so he kind of ruined sex for me so far. I'm not the kind of player who jumps into bed with anyone, that's just wrong. But I have had sex a couple times since then, so I know how to measure standards. Plus Tala actually knows this and he's damn proud of it. Luckily, he knows better than to broadcast this piece of information around, and it also helps for me to know that I was the best _he _ever had. And there is no way he was still a virgin then.

But everyone knows now. And it doesn't matter, because both of us got through that difficult strain on our friendship and came out with a stronger friendship. But the part in between? Shit, it was confusing.

That's what I'm worried about. If I snog Johnny, and if he's as good as everyone says, I might just fall back into that really confusing mad zone again. And god please, don't let that happen again.

My hormones do really weird things when I get off with my mates.

Strangers? Nope, nothing there.

Mates? Help!!!!!!

Uh, you know what, I got majorly off track then.

As I was saying before I went into the whole "the chase" and sleeping with Tala thing, boys can be damn right annoying if they want to be.

Cos you know what they've done now?

They've stuck my flute on one of the beams that run across the gym's roofs. The only way I can get I back is by climbing up the ropes. The problem? I'm wearing a skirt with no tights.

Which means while I climb they'll be able to see my knickers.

I usually don't have a big problem when not so many people are watching, but the fact a large crowd has gathered, mostly boys, is really hacking me off.

What do they take me for???

'Aw, c'mon Cass, it isn't that bad!' someone called. The crowd jeered.

'I think it's really mean.' Holly declared.

'Thanks for that vote of confidence sis.' I sighed.

'Cass, just go get it. I mean, its nothing I haven't seen before.' Tala told me, smirking. I hit his arm, annoyed.

'When I find out who did this, there is gonna be some serious butt kicking!' I declared, finally giving up and launching myself up the rope. There was a loud cheer. I sighed as I pulled myself up the rope, the tough material scraping and burning against my hands. The boys below were surrounding the bottom of the rope, peering upwards. Why did I wear the REALLY short skirt today? I knew it was a bad idea!! Thank god I wore my black knickers and not the semi-transparent ones that Tala gave to me as a joke when we had just gotten over the whole sleeping together thing. That had really got us laughing.

Half way up, I looked down. My friends had formed a small crowd away from the others, staring up at me with sympathy. I could see Ray with his arm around Holly, whom I realised was very angry at whoever had pulled this stunt. I could tell by the way her chocolate brown eyes were glinting dangerously, her forehead upturned in a frown. A rush of gratitude passed through me, and I gave her a warm smile, and a sign in our old special secret sign language that said _don't worry_.

She replied with a rusty _God, I'm gonna kill the person who did this!_

My sister can change very dramatically when someone hurts me. It's amazing really.

I continued upwards. The crowds were still jeering, hooting. It's incredible that the teachers haven't heard them. A sudden thought struck me.

_Why me?_

Why? Because I'm usually up for a laugh? Because I'm a player?

_That's exactly it. Because I'm a player._

That's it. All they see me as is a body, someone to snog in parties. It's as if I don't have morals, I don't care who I jump into bed with. All because I slept with Tala, all because I pull guys in parties.

When had I earned a reputation like that? It's sick.

It's wrong.

In my crowd, pranks are pulled on me because I'm up for a laugh.

In school, pranks are pulled on me because they think I'm like Amber. An airhead with a body. And something else Amber doesn't have- attitude.

So someone played on my love for music and thought I wouldn't care. They thought I would giggle like Amber would and just go up they without any hesitation. Maybe they even thought I'd ask for a leg up.

I was angry now. Angry...and upset. Tears of frustration had welled up in the back of my eyes, and I fought against them hopelessly. My hands trembled as I pulled myself upwards, and I was glad when I finally reached the beam- I wouldn't've been able to hold on any longer. I hauled myself up on the timber beam, crawling along it as the crowd below cheered and laughed. I felt sick, my whole body trembling as I crawled along the narrow thick piece of wood. The flute sat in the very middle. I was high up, in the very centre of the gym. I sat cross-legged and pulled the flute case onto my lap. It wasn't damaged, neither was the silver flute inside. I ran my fingers along the metal, slotting it together and placing the mouthpiece to my lips.

A single tear rolled down my cheek.

I think everyone saw it. They probably did, considering a sudden hush fell over the entire room. More tears were falling, and I did nothing to stop them.

'Cass,' a soft voice called up. I recognised it as Tala's. 'Cass, come down,'

I didn't reply. Instead I blew a few notes. Then I began one of only grade eight pieces I've perfected. It was a moving piece, so moving that Holly burst into tears when I first played it to her. And that's when I had only started practicing it.

In a way, I was glad I had captured their attention, alarmed them when I had started crying. It served them right. They had no idea who I am, no idea what I'm like. And I was also glad Johnny and Max weren't down there. They're in detention for throwing paper balls at each other. And I'm glad because they would easily be able to get me down. They're persuasive; they know me really and truly. So does Holly, but she's dealt with me all her life and hasn't got enough patience for it. She knows it, that's why she's silently listening to me playing the flute, her eyes glazed over with tears.

The tears pouring from my eyes were coming thick and fast, so thick that I couldn't see anything. It was too blurred. So I squeezed them shut, and everything went black as my fingers numbly darted over the metal, emitting breathy notes.

After several minutes of flute playing, the last note fluttered into the air and I set down the instrument. I noticed Johnny standing in the crowd, his violet eyes filled with such anger it alarmed me. He had obviously arrived while I had been playing, and was now rapidly conversing with Kai; the thunderous expression deepening as Kai told him what was going on.

'I wish you hadn't made me come up here.' I murmured, but everyone had heard it. They jumped at the sound of my voice, staring blankly at me. 'I have feelings, y'know. I'm not just some pretty airhead who doesn't care about morals. Cos I do. If you wanted someone who could just giggle and ask for a leg up, then next time steal Amber's make up set. Cos I ain't that kinda girl. I've never been that kinda girl. But most of you wouldn't know that, would you? You wouldn't know cos I'm just another pretty girl with no brains and no morals. Newsflash, people, cos having you thinking that is what's making me upset. And I ain't coming down until I find out who did this.'

There was an eruption. Everyone began talking at once.

'WILLOW!!!' Holly cried, alarmed.

'Willow, don't be stupid and come down!' Tala ordered, frowning at me.

I ignored them.

Instead, I began to play again. A shorter jazz tune I had made up.

'WILLOW CASSANDRA TATE, DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!!!' I winced at the sound of Max's voice but continued playing.

'Cass, listen. DON'T DO THIS!!' I think that was Enrique.

I think I'm gonna be here for a while.

* * *

Okay, so what d'ya think? Is the story for keeps? My mate reckons it's good, but she might just be saying that to keep me happy. (glares at Ti) anywho...review, plz!!

Thanx to those who reviewed!

**OrAcLe Of ThE oNsLaUgHt** _Don't worry, this isn't a mary-sue fic, there's a lot of twists in this fic!_

**Truble **_thanx Ti, always appreciate da reviews. keep em coming!_

**Spazzy's Girl**_ thanx for da review, glad u liked it. I suppose ur a big Johnny fan then. lol. hope u liked this chappie. keep those reviews coming!_

Another thing, check out my Corrupted Dreams fic, its very different from this one.

Keep reviewing guys!

Ciao people

Chiya


	3. The Decision

Eye Of The Storm 

Chapter 3: The Decision

It was nearly the end of lunch now. I've been up here for forty-five minutes. The crowds haven't disappeared, but instead grown. News must've travelled round that I had been pranked into coming up here and now refused to come down. Johnny had tried and failed talking some sense into me. Holly was in a right flap, near tears. If anything, I was sorely tempted to come down just to comfort her, my sisterly protective gene kicking in pretty quickly. But I stayed put, convincing myself that Ray was doing a good job comforting her. It was Enrique's turn to try and talk me into coming back down. I was ignoring him. And it was pissing him off. But I'm pretty stubborn, and if Johnny hasn't gotten me down, then I doubt anyone else could.

Funnily enough, Kai hasn't actually tried talking to me yet. He simply watched me with a calm face, his auburn eyes staring right through me. It was unnerving. But I had my flute to keep me pre-occupied.

At the moment I'm playing the chorus of "Easier To Run" by Linkin Park. It's probably one of my favourite tracks on their latest album.

'God, Cass, can't you at least listen to me!?' Enrique snapped, finally losing any patience.

I stopped playing and stared at him. 'Sorry, what were you saying?' I asked politely. Enrique blinked, threw his hands into the air dramatically and yelled 'I give up! It's no use!', before whirling around and stomping off. Kara went after him, speaking to him quietly. Those two are really close; best friends. If anyone can calm him down it's Kara. I hate doing this to my mates but I have to get the point across. I was hurt, big time. I when I'm hurt, I lash out. I force others to listen to me.

I returned to my flute, letting my eyes drift close and losing myself to the music. In fact, I was so lost in the music I didn't hear anything else. To my expense, I found out. When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring into auburn eyes.

Kai was sitting right next to me, his elbows resting on his knees; slate hair falling into his auburn eyes.

We stared at each other for several seconds, but to me it seemed like an eternity. His eyes searching out my green ones, all emotion hidden. There was nothing but us, and for an entire second I lost all control on my thoughts, my feelings. If he had asked me to come down, I would've followed him like a puppy. If he had asked to jump off this beam, I would've...

I closed my eyes briefly, getting in control again, scolding myself for that collapse in my system. When my eyes opened again, he hadn't moved...but he was smiling. A small smile, a smile that stole my heart.

'You sure know how to get attention.'

'I'm not doing this for attention.' I replied, my voice firm. My mind was in jumbles, scattered and random thoughts whizzing around my head. _What's wrong with me?_

'I know you aren't. I think you're right to point out that you're not just a body. Never judge a book by its covers.'

I stared at him, eyebrows raised.

He shook his head, sighing. 'You're upsetting Holly. You're upsetting all of us. I think I know who did this. Will you come down if I got him to own up? Cos I don't like seeing Johnny that angry. It happens to be very nerve-wracking. You don't know when he's gonna blow up.'

I felt guilty. Majorly guilty. 'I'm sorry. I don't want to upset anyone, save perhaps Amber, but that's not the point. If...if you get the guy who did this to own up, I'll come down.'

Kai smiled again. God, I think I'm turning to mush. I sighed, reached into my bag and scribbled down a message to Holly.

_"STOP! Don't be upset, please!!! I'm really sorry I'm upsetting you but I gotta do this. Besides, you know I'm not stupid enough to jump off this piece of wood. Jeez, what d'you take me for? I'll be okay, I promise. Love you sis."_

I folded it up and handed it to Kai. 'Give this to Holly.' I told him, 'And tell Johnny to chill.'

Kai nodded and wandered back down the timber beam, sliding easily down the rope. I watched as a frantic Holly and all my other friends approached him. I sighed, lying down and leaving my leg to dangle over the edge. My hands lay under my head, keeping it from the rough wood. I lay there, staring at the high ceiling that was now only five feet away, and heaved a deep sigh.

'Lils.' A soft voice fluttered up the vast space between me and the floor, my special nickname that only Johnny used reaching my ears. I'm surprised I heard it with the racket from the crowd echoing in the huge gym. I rolled over onto my side, propping up my elbow and resting my head against my hand as I looked over the edge and saw Johnny staring up at me with his mysterious violet eyes.

It was like seeing him for the first time really. He stood out like a solitary figure among half the school students in the gym, his fiery red hair flopping messily into his eyes. His eyes. A deep and mysterious violet that one could lose themselves in, swirling with hidden feelings and desires. They were so dark now, glimmering not with anger, but with a deep sadness and fear. And they were staring right through me, seeing the very depths of my soul, somehow unlocking the key to my being and letting loose a whole load of things I hadn't even known were there. Feelings I hadn't noticed before, desires I hadn't wanted, needed. But then my breath hitched in my throat and my heart rammed against my chest when I felt a sudden desire to have Johnny's arms around me, holding me close to him, his lips on mine.

It was wrong. Wrong on so many levels. Johnny was my best friend, my closest. He was practically my backbone, my rock. Our minds and feelings knew each other so goddamn well, there was nothing left that wouldn't've been noticed. To get physical...

'Lils, promise me, _promise me_ you'll come down when Kai's got the guy who did this.'

His voice was so sad, filled with anxiety that no one else could've caught. Physical...with Johnny...I just couldn't...

'I promise.' I honestly felt like crying then. Seeing Johnny so angry, upset, it was as horrible as watching Holly bawl her eyes out over someone who had hurt her.

Johnny nodded, with some relief, before scowling in the direction of Kai. He was heading back towards us, frowning, tugging Amber's hand as he practically dragged her through the crowds. They stopped next to Johnny, and Kai began prodding her slightly, hissing something in her ear. This was quite weird, I gotta tell ya, since Kai is always gentle with girls, a bit cold, yes, but usually tries to avoid being hurtful. Kai is usually muttering sweet nothings into a girl's ear, not prodding them and-

'Alright, alright, I don't know why you're uptight about it anyway.' Amber sighed, before looking up to me. I stared at her, confused. 'Willow, I have to admit, it was me. I stole your flute out of your locker and got Kane to stick it up there. I'm _awfully_ sorry.'

* * *

'You broke her wrist for god's sake!' Mrs. Jackson, our Head Mistress, screamed. I slumped in the uncomfortable plastic chair while I listened to her waffle on. '...climbing school buildings...awfully dangerous...begging for attention...unprovoked attack on another student...quite defenceless Miss Trendson was too...you know she's not as strong as you...' 

'Look, Mrs Jackson, let's get a couple of things straight here.' I cut in, annoyed. 'Firstly, I was pranked none other by Amber Trendson into climbing up to the timber beam since she and Kane stuck my flute up there in the first place. Secondly, she didn't seem awfully sorry about it to me, and was quite patronising about it, so I reckon it was a provoked attack. I was angry, my friends were upset and my sister was in hysterics by then. And lastly, Amber's not as weak as you think! She landed a few punches herself, where d'you think the bruises are from?!'

Mrs Jackson was silent. For about two seconds, I reckon. A record if you ask me.

'Those bruises could come from the boys you hang around with. I wouldn't be surprised, being best friends with McGregor and Volkov. Nasty pieces of work they are.' She snarled. It was then I lost my cool.

'Don't you dare say that about Johnny and Tala. You have no idea what goes on in their head!' I shrieked, jumping to my feet.

'Oh ho, I don't do I? I've put up with them for five long years and what I've seen isn't very impressive! No wonder your sister's been caught in this teenage whirlwind of yours. What a bright girl too, with loads of potential, but in the end, it'll be you and those boys dragging her down!' she spat, her dirty blonde hair crackling with anger. Her hazel eyes were narrowed in sheer hatred. Hey, I've never been her favourite.

'You cow.' I said slowly, breathing deeply in hope my anger would bubble down somehow. 'What Holly does with her life has nothing to do with anyone else. I want her to do well; I've always wanted her to do well. You're right; she's got great potential. But, never _ever _say that I'm dragging her down.' I snarled, before whirling around on my heel and storming from the room.

'TWO WEEKS DETENTION MISS TATE! MCGREGOR WILL PROBABLY BE JOINING YOU, KNOWING THAT IDIOT!!' Mrs Jackson yelled at my retreating back as I hurtled through the reception area and out into the playground. It took all my will power to not go back and break some more bones.

As I stormed across the playground to the science block, I had managed to miss someone I've always considered impossible to miss. His large hand snatched my wrist, whirling me around. I was just about to sock him one when I realised who it was.

'Oh, Johnny, didn't see you there!' I said rather breathlessly, trying to cover my anger.

'There was me thinking that was impossible! You've bruised my ego badly now.' Johnny grinned. God, is he physic? I swear I was just thinking that a minute ago!!

'Uh huh. I'm sure it'll inflate again in 2.5 seconds.' I replied, rolling my eyes at him.

'Correction. 1.7 seconds.' Johnny corrected cheekily. You know what? Mrs. Jackson is right- I probably will be seeing him in detention at some point, but I guess that's why I love him, the cheeky bastard.

'Whatever. Why aren't you in class? Bunking the last lesson are we?' I asked him with raised eyebrows, knowing the answer before I had even asked the question.

'Double French can be soul-destroying.' Johnny told me.

I groaned in sympathy. 'Tell me about. I'm so glad I ditched it last year and instead joined Holly in Spanish. Did I mention I have Spanish ancestors?'

'Yes, Cass, you did mention it. Twice now.'

'Did I? Oh okay, where you heading now anyway? You can't hang around here, someone on patrol might catch ya.'

'Oh, just thinking of heading out to the park. You know, watch the golden leaves fall from their branches...' I knew what he was doing. He knows how much I love autumn, with its gorgeous gold and red colours...

'Okay, let's go then.' I grinned, looping my arm through his and leading him to the low brick wall where the security cameras couldn't see us and the wall was low enough to climb over, while Johnny laughed cheerfully and roughly kissed my head.

Did I mention that Johnny could succeed in getting me to do whatever he wanted? It's a rare gift, since I'm pretty strong minded and independent. But all he has to do is pout at me and look all sad and upset and I cave in.

Yes, I am officially losing it.

Yet while we walked through the park in comfortable silence, with his arm around my shoulder and me leaning into him happily, I couldn't help but not be surprised that half the school reckon we've got some secret passionate relationship going on. If some girl is bitching about Johnny, I'd probably punch her. Once a boy was making moves on me, moves that could totally land him behind bars for sexual assault. There had been nothing I could do: I was drunk, my co-ordination wasn't that great and I was drained from dancing too much. And I was scared. But Johnny had known there was something wrong, even when people told him to forget about it and I was probably just "doing some harmless making out". But they were wrong, and Johnny knew from the way I was pushed non-willingly from the main room into a bedroom. I remember...being so scared, his harsh lips on my skin and...his hands up my skirt...then he was pulled off me. I had fallen to the floor whimpering while Johnny gave him a reason to go into hospital, before gathering me up and taking me back to his place.

It's only been a month since then. It was during summer. A summer I'd never forget. But more importantly, it was the night Johnny and I became so close, even our friends began to wonder.

I sighed as we sat down beneath an oak tree, still refusing to let him go.

'Hey, what's up?' he murmured, sensing my sudden rush of emotion.

'Just...just thinking about...what happened...'

'...in the summer?' I nodded. 'Hey, Lils, he was a bastard. Besides, you got me, don't ya?'

I laughed. 'Yeah...I got you...its just that what he thought of me, is exactly what everyone in that school thinks of me. You saw what happened at lunch. But, y'know, it could happen again.'

'No way.' He stated with determination. 'There's no fuckin' way I'm letting that ever happen to you again.'

I smiled as he tightened his hold on me, pulling me onto his lap and kissing the top of my head.

'Thanks. You'll always be my number one guy.'

'What about Max?'

'Uh...don't tell him that...!' I said sheepishly, grinning up at him. He laughed, his violet eyes dancing.

'By the way...can I have a kiss now?'

'No.'

'Damn.'

I laughed at the face he had pulled at me. I love the way he can make me laugh and be generally happy in two seconds flat. That is what I call talent.

I stood up, stretching out my cramped muscles, before offering Johnny a hand. He took it, I pulled him up but he was quite heavy so I managed to slip on the crunchy golden leaves.

'Oh!' I said as the ground rushed up to meet me. I suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me up gently.

'You klutz.' Johnny said, setting me upright while I shook off the dizziness. I grinned sheepishly at him.

'Thanks.'

'No probs.' He replied carelessly, as if he swept girls off their feet every day. Okay, maybe that's being a _little _dramatic.

'Okay, school finished like an hour ago...where did the time go?' Johnny said, frowning at his watch.

'Flew out the window.' I replied.

'I don't see any windows.' He said stupidly, as he pretended to look around for a window and scratched the back of his head as though he was puzzled. If anyone else had done that, I would say it was childish. But Johnny, jeez, he could just about get away with anything where I'm concerned.

'Oh, really?' I said, playing along. 'Well, watcha know, neither do I.'

'Hmm...interesting that. So begins operation window!' he grinned at me, bouncing down the path and pulling me along as I laughed my head off at his childish antics.

Damn, what would I do without him?

* * *

'Where have you _been!?'_ Holly snarled at me, as soon we got to my place, since Johnny had given me a lift on his motorbike. 

'What, I'm not allowed to spend time after school with my best friend anymore?' I said, raising an eyebrow at her.

'No, it's a matter of whether I know where you are or not, dumbass!' Holly replied scathingly. Hey, did I miss something? Holly is _never _this sensitive about things like this anymore. Something is totally wrong.

'Holly, what is _wrong_ with you?' I asked, concerned.

'Yeah, Holly, what's the matter?' Johnny added.

'_Nothing_!'

And with that, she stormed off into our room.

'Maybe she has the monthly curse?' Johnny suggested, noticing that I had a worried look playing on my facial features.

'No, she gets it a week after mine, and mine's only just started.' I replied off-handily.

'Explains a lot.' Johnny muttered.

I threw him a look. It was a good look too. Any one else would've backed off pretty fast, but Johnny barely batted an eyelid. Humph.

'Well, I'll let her calm down a bit before talking to her.' I sighed, turning back to the redhead beside me. 'Johnny, have you, um, actually told anyone about what happened at the party last month?'

'Not counting my mother, no.'

I knew Johnny had told his mother since it was her that had taken care of all my bruises and cuts.

I nodded. 'It's just that, I don't think I could stand all the boys checking every guy who flirts with me.'

'Understandable.' He replied shortly, and I knew we didn't need any more words.

There was silence for several minutes.

'Willow,' Johnny finally said, a serious look on his face. Uh oh, did I do something wrong? 'I've been thinking.'

About what? _What!?_

'Yes...?'

'What happened today, at lunch. You hate the fact you got such a bad rep. I think you need to change it. And there's only one way how.'

'Uh huh...that would be...?'

'You need to get yourself into a proper relationship.'

My jaw dropped. The thought, the sheer thought, of being with someone for longer than a week was weird: I don't do long term boyfriends. It was too complicated. It was tough. And your feelings and emotions were always in the way.

'Oh, yeah, and where am I gonna find a guy I won't be tempted to cheat on, huh?' I finally asked.

'You don't look. He's sitting right in front of you.'

Oh...my...god...oh...my...god...oh...my...god...

'I'm not saying you have to Cass,' he said quickly, probably having seen my totally surprised look. 'It's just that, we know each other really well, so we haven't got any problems there. And I'm fed up with girl's hitting on me cos of my rep and looks.'

I was silent. My mind mulled over the proposition he had made. It was so tempting...just to have him touch me...properly...

'You don't have to Cass.' Johnny repeated quietly.

'Can I get back to you?' I asked, well, more like whispered. 'I...I gotta think this through...if I can handle it...I'll tell at school tomorrow, promise.'

'That's cool. I'll see you tomorrow.' He said, quickly kissing my cheek and walking out. I sat there, in a daze, my fingers gingerly touching my cheek where he had kissed me. And I made my mind up.

Johnny was mine.

* * *

Well, there you go. A lil twist no less. So, what did you think? Liked it? I reckon Willow was being a little too heavy in this chapter and the end of the last one. Must lighten up the mood. Anyways, keep reviewing guys! And thanx for the reviews!

Ciao

Chiya


	4. An Eventful Morning

Hey hey everybody, soz i didn't update sooner but it kinda slipped my mind that i hadn't updated in a while....so here i am! Presenting _An Eventful Morning_

Disclaimer: I _wish _I owned Beyblade: I'd probably be very rich. Unfortunately I don't so you'll just have to up with a broke fourteen year old.

Eye Of The Storm

Chapter 4: An Eventful Morning

I woke up early the next morning. My mind was buzzing, as if it hadn't got any rest, yet I was completely refreshed and ready for the drama of today.

Last night my mind had been full of _what if_s and _why_s but I had managed to push them away for a while when I went to interrogate my adorable twin sister. Who wasn't being so adorable. She denied everything I randomly came up with that could've been fuelling this mood ('Did you get into a fight with Ray? Oh no, that can't be right, you'd probably be crying otherwise, not angry. Why d'you look so confused and lost? Holly, you're not taking _drugs _are you!?'). And yet she did look so confused and lost. To a point where it was starting to scare me. Just another thing added in my already full "worrying section" of my brain.

And then there was the whole Johnny dilemma. I may have decided in around two seconds flat (going with intuition there) to date Johnny just to clear out our reps, but there was always a new issue turning up in my rather annoying mind. At one point I almost screamed "Look, brain, I know you're not being used enough but is this really the way you wanna get revenge!?" Yes, I know I'm insane. No need to make a big deal about it.

But, seriously, I always kept thinking things like _what if it damages our friendship? What if one of us falls for the other? _Okay, I gotta admit, if anyone is gonna fall for the other, it's me. That kinda thing usually happens to me, even if I haven't been in love before. But by the next morning, as if my brain had been working and figuring things out while I slept, I was totally set for the explosive relationship I was about to get involved with, and armed with excuses I had made for each of my questions.

It was only 7 a.m., but I decided to get up anyway, which was totally uncharacteristic of me. I silently pulled on my uniform, and wondered downstairs with yet another hour left to kill before having to leave. Dad was there, nursing a mug of coffee while resisting the urge to sleep. I watched him, bemused.

'Good morning Daddy.' I said brightly.

'Says who?' he grunted at me, finally draining the last droplets of coffee. 'What are you doing up so early anyway? Makes a pleasant change to your sister bouncing down the stairs at the crack of dawn.' He said, smiling fondly at me. I reckon I'm his favourite among us three siblings. I'm Daddy's little girl, whereas Mom's most disappointing. Mom and I spent our lives yelling at each other about one thing or another. She insists it's bad influence for me to be hanging out with Johnny and Tala and so on. She also insists I'm not getting good enough grades in school. Isn't an overall B good enough for her? Excuse me, but I am _not _Holly, contrary to what she thinks.

'I just had a lot on my mind. So I figured I'd come and spent a little time with my daddy before you open the shop.' I replied, smiling and slamming the espresso machine into life. Dad owns the only sports gear shop in the entire town, so it's pretty big with all the teenagers. I'm quite proud when I say that nearly everyone's skateboards and rollarblades come from Dad's shop. Mom's a researcher for some major company, but I don't really pay attention to what she does.

'Come here sweetheart.' Dad said softly, pulling me onto his lap. Sometimes I just return to being a little girl when Dad gets all loving. 'Tell daddy what's on your mind.'

I couldn't really tell him what was going on in my mind; that would be stupid. I don't need Daddy, who is the one parent who doesn't mind the boys, knowing that said boys are players and that I'm nearly as bad. So I settled with the limited truth.

'Oh, just boy trouble Daddy. Being a teenager is very confusing. Especially when your twin sister is acting a bit weird.'

'What's wrong with Holly?' Dad frowned, as I hopped off his lap to retrieve my espresso.

'Dunno. Don't bug her about it though, Dad. It's probably nothing. Besides, she'll probably spill after a while and I promise I'll tell if it's really serious.' Fact: no way in hell would I spill Holly's secrets if she didn't want me to. I usually feel bad lying to Dad, but I don't even know what this is all about, so I ain't feeling that guilty.

'If you say so sweetheart. So what's this about boys?'

'Oh, just wondering whether to go out with Johnny or not.' I replied unblushingly.

Dad almost choked on his second cup of coffee.

'What?'

'Oh, y'know, he asked me out yesterday. It's just that he's, like, my best friend. He's practically as close as Holly. So it's kinda hard on knowing whether I should go out with him or not. What d'you think Daddy?'

'Well, it really depends. Do you really think it's worth risking your friendship for something that may or may not work?'

'I dunno.' I sighed, draining my cup of espresso.

'It could work, y'know. Your mother and I were best friends before we started dating. Now look where we are. Eighteen years of marriage and an eighteen year old son and seventeen year old twin daughters.'

I coughed. I didn't know they were best friends before they had started dating!

'Maybe, Dad, but what if it doesn't work out? I don't even know whether to go out with him, let alone get married and have three kids all within a year of each other.'

'Well, okay, maybe not getting ahead that far. What I'm trying to say sweetheart, is that you need to take risks. It's risks that take you places.' And with that last word of wisdom, he stood up, kissed me on the cheek and disappeared for work.

Well then, I didn't think I'd be consulting Dad about the whole thing. But I have a rather strong suspicion that he would've said otherwise if he had known exactly why he had asked me out in the first place.

I'm doing this, and that's final.

''Mornin' Will.' Max stumbled in, yawning. I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled brightly at my older brother. Hell, he's gonna get a surprise later!

'Hey Maxie, had a good night?'

Max threw me a filthy look. He had practically been dragged home by Kara, drunk as a skunk. A few of them had gone clubbing in the local, _The Topaz Dragon_, where we play regularly. And had drunken all their worries (if they had any) away. Poor Kara was the only one mostly sober.

'Awww, bro, you got a hangover?' I giggled. For some reason, I was in a good mood.

Cue for Big Brother's Filthy Look Number Two. I disappeared to the bathroom, laughing at his expense, before returning with the hangover medicine (otherwise known as Angel's Gift to us teens). He took it gratefully.

'So, sis, how come you didn't join us last night?'

'Because, bro, I had other things on my mind. I didn't feel like getting drunk.'

'Was it something to do with Johnny?'

I raised my eyebrows at him.

'He didn't want to come out either. He seemed preoccupied about something.' Max explained.

_Oh._

Can I ask a question, people? No, wait, I just did. Oh, never mind. Okay, question: _Why does life suck?_

I mean, I have my sister acting all weird on me, and she won't tell me what's going on, which is a first since there have never been any secrets between us. Then there's Johnny, and the whole going out thing. And now there's my brother, who is going out with my female best friend and suspects something on the whole Johnny front. Okay, he's bound to suspect something, I mean, he's my brother right? He hasn't put up with me for seventeen years of his life for nothing.

I shrugged. 'Don't ask me, I have no idea what's wrong with him.' I said, going upstairs to rouge Holly awake.

I wonder when was the last time I was the one doing the waking up…

'Holly.' I hissed, shaking the lump under the covers. A muffled groan met my ears. I resisted the urge to throw ice-cold water over her. 'Holly, get the hell out of bed. It's 7.30!'

For once, she did not jump out of bed, wide-awake and bushy tailed. Instead, she said:

'So what? Give me a break Will, d'you think I'm always jumping around and ready to go!?'

I gaped at her. For once in my bitchy comeback life, I was speechless.

'Okay…whenever you're ready to talk about whatever is fucking you up this bad, please, enlighten me.' I snapped, annoyed. I sighed, going over to my side of the room.

Our room is the largest room in the whole house, probably because we have to share. Luckily, our room is kinda divided by an arch in the middle of the room, making it more definite on which side of the room is ours. Our room is probably the funkiest room known to humanity. It's just so random and messy on mine, whereas hers is usually tidy and bright.

My side of the room is painted navy blue, covered in posters of the all the rock bands known to humanity, such as Linkin Park (big favourite of mine), Lostprophets, Evanescence and Good Charlotte, to name a few. There are magazines sprawled across the fluffy baby blue carpet, as well as trainers and school shoes. My black duvet with bright yellow stars was piled on top of the bed. My bed is positioned right next to the window, and my desk is in the corner, it's plasma screen lifeless. My built in wardrobe housed over a hundred outfits, I'm proud to say. A small silver TV and XBOX sat on a coffee table next to the bed, all set for late night playing.

Holly's side of the room, however, was completely different. It was painted a sunny yellow, covered in certificates and awards that she had achieved over the years. Her bed was tucked up in the corner, its duvets a pure white with a sun emblazed on its front. Her desk was near her bed, neatly arranged and completely tidy. Bookshelves lined a whole wall, stacked with her books and magazines and old essays that always held a mark no lower than A-. Her wardrobe wasn't inbuilt, and she didn't feel the need to go out and buy a new outfit for every party there was, so she owned less than half the outfits I did. The windowsill housed her beloved orchid plant that she's looked after for god knows how long. Her TV rested on a shelf opposite her bed, and she didn't bother asking for a console. While I played Halo on my XBOX before nodding off, she prefers a good novel, preferably thick and full of complicated words.

Our rooms are opposite. Totally and completely different. The same as our personalities. And yet we are best friends, and we get along perfectly. _So what's she hiding from me?_

I heaved a sigh again, listening to Holly shuffle around in her bed before slowly rolling out and blearily making her way to the bathroom. I strode around my side of the room, restless, and with nothing to do for another fifteen minutes.

I'm sure you're asking: _Why don't you just go to school early?_

Have you ever watched a dramatic entrance? Yeah, well, those performing them need precise timing. Timing is the key here, if I plan to surprise everyone at school. Or, at least my mates, anyway.

'Lila.' Holly said hesitantly, standing next to me. I turned to face her, surprised that she had used my childhood nickname.

'Lila, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just that…I'm a bit confused at the moment…'

'Lollie, what's confusing you?' I frowned, using her childhood nickname.

'I-I…can't explain. Maybe, when I understand what I want, I'll tell you. I promise, Lila, you'll be the first to know.'

I nodded, although I wanted to push her. But I wasn't stupid. Instead, I leaned over and hugged her fiercely. 'Whatever it is, I'll always be there for you, okay?' I murmured. She nodded, leaning into my hug before breaking away.

'Chirpy. Gotta be chirpy…' she muttered, mostly to herself.

Okay, may have rubbed off her too much…

'Thanks, Lila. Chirpy…'

I sniggered against my will, clamping my hand over my mouth.

Well then, I always thought it was a matter of time before she completely lost it.

Okay, Willow, this is it. There are the boys now…oh, there's Johnny…WATCH OUT FOR THAT LAMP POST!!!!!

I swerved around that lamp post at the last second, shaking my head to clear it out. Exhaling, I skidded across the playground to the boys, where they greeted me enthusiastically. Johnny was silent, waiting for me to make the move. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Holly glancing uncertainly at Tala, before turning to greet her boyfriend.

I jumped off Viper, and headed straight towards the Scottish redhead. Max was frowning at me; knowing something was about to happen, and this caused Kai and Kara to start watching as well.

'You don't have to do this Cass.' Johnny spoke quite loudly and clearly, capturing everyone's attention. I stood in front of him, and my lips quirked into a slight smile.

Before people could start asking questions, I grabbed his tie, yanking it down so that his face was nearer to mine, and crushed my lips onto his.

He responded instantaneously, wrapping an arm around my waist and drawing me closer to him. Another hand cupped my cheek, stroking it softly in a way that sent shivers up my spine. His tongue grazed across my lips, and I complied with his wishes. Our tongues played out a duel that he easily won, and he held me more tightly, as my arms wound around his neck and I pressed inwards, making it harder and more passionate. His arm left my waist, trailing up underneath my untucked shirt, leaving tingling feelings as his large rough hand moved feather light over my back. But we were running out of oxygen, and as much as I was enjoying the fireworks in my stomach, we pulled apart.

I only grew aware of the stunned silence that surrounded us as we attempted to refill our lungs, our eyes never leaving each other. He rested his forehead against mine.

'Nice to be able to do that in public.' He grinned, pretending we had been together all this time and were finally coming out into the open. I played along.

'Tell about it…no more throwing rocks at the window!' I giggled, although inside, we were getting ready to face the others.

'Guys? Explanations are good.' Tala finally spoke up, and there were nods all round. I sighed, turning around. Johnny's arms were still firmly locked around my waist.

'Okay…explanations…well, to summarise it, we're going out.' I said cheerfully.

Several eyebrows were raised at me.

'OH MY GOD!!!'

Oh crap, Mariah's found her voice.

'DITTO!' Mariam shrieked.

The two girls yanked me away from Johnny, before frogmarching me away from the boys, Kara following. She was smirking.

'I don't believe this…'

'This is so wicked!'

'Why didn't you tell us before!?'

'Does anyone know where my lipgloss is?'

'Willow, d'you know how lucky you are?? Johnny is one of the most sought out guys in the whole town!'

'This was sooo bound to happen. I mean, come on, best friends? Not without bonking each other for a while…'

'Does anyone know where my lipgloss is?'

'Have you slept with him yet?'

'How long have you been together anyway?'

'DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE MY LIPGLOSS IS???'

They fell silent. I turned to Kara. 'Uh, I borrowed it yesterday. Here, I think it's in my bag…'

'Why do I get the feeling that half of it ended up on Johnny's lips?' Kara smirked, causing me to roll my eyes at the auburn-eyed girl.

'I didn't even use much-'

'Kara, you're helping her avoid the questions!' Mariah yelled, tugging on my arm.

'Okay, okay.' The blunette rolled her eyes. 'Cass, how long have you been dating Johnny?'

I handed her the tube of strawberry lipgloss. 'Good question. It was rather confusing for a while, but then we gave up arguing with ourselves and just went for it.'

'_Willow…_' Mariam warned.

'Okay, okay!! I'd say, around a month.'

Making it up as I go along here…I totally need to get Johnny on his own and figure this out.

'So what's it like?' Mariah asked eagerly.

I raised an eyebrow at her. 'Depends what you mean by that…'

'She means: what's Johnny like when he's caught up in a relationship. A proper one.' Kara supplied. Honestly, that girl is like my how-girls-like-Mariah-and-Mariam-think book. No wonder Kai's got himself so many girls drooling after him, with a sister like that, he probably learnt how to understand girls a long time ago.

'Oh. Well, he's caring, gentle, still cheeky, still making me laugh. He's the most amazing kisser too…and he keeps surprising me.' I added, smiling dreamily.

'Lucky cow.' Mariam said simply, while Mariah and Kara squealed at the dreamy look on my face.

Thank heavens I'm a pretty good actress.

'He's probably only like that cos it's Willow.' piped up Holly. Obviously she had disentangled herself from Ray long enough to interrogate me as well. 'I mean, Johnny's well known for one night stands and stuff so since it's his own best friend he's involved with, he's gonna behave, isn't he?'

'You're right.' agreed Kara.

'I reckon they're in love!' Mariah said.

I rolled my eyes at the pink haired girl.

'Well, a whole month is like a record for Johnny…and you, come to think if it,'

'HEY!!! I'm not that bad!'

'Okay, then, what's the longest you've ever dated a guy?' Mariam asked, smirking.

'Uh…three weeks. I think.'

'Yeah, and that was when you were dating Lee.'

I pouted.

'Come one, Will, your history isn't that great, y'know. First there was Bryan-'

'I was new! Excuse me for checking out the guys!'

'And then there was Lee. But you guys broke up because you snogged Kai-'

'I was DRUNK!!!'

'So that was a disaster. Then you've kissed Michael, Ozuma _and_ Kane at some party or another. And then, the worst thing of all, you _slept _with Tala-'

'We were soooo DRUNK!!!!!!!!!'

'So, quite frankly Cass, you're not very good at the whole long-term relationship, are you?' Mariam finished. She's evil, that gal. She even spells evil with her gothic clothes.

'I'm not letting that happen this time, okay!? This time, I've got more at stake, like our friendship! D'you know how much our friendship means to me??'

'You're right, Willow. I know you wouldn't put your friendship on the line if you weren't serious.' Holly said reassuringly, but somehow, I think she was reassuring herself in some way as well.

The bell went somewhere inside the school.

'C'mon, guys, lets go homeroom.' I sighed, glad to be able to get away.

We set off across the playground towards the school. Holly trailed behind, her eyes set on the boys who were also making their way inside. I figured she was simply watching Ray, being the lovesick couple they were.

If only I knew how wrong I was.

okay, so Willow and Johnny are officially together. But for how long....? Hee hee hee, here's a lil preview of the next chappie for ya.....

_Silence ensued, in which I noticed the looks Holly and Tala were giving each other. One thought passed through my head before I could squash it. One thought that probably changed everything._

_They're shagging._

Okay, so i just wanna thank all my reviewers!

**Mimi: **_Thanx!!_

**A: **_Top three?! Wow, thanx!! _

**Typhoon14: **_Thanx._

**Blackdranzergurl: **_Thank you!! And make sure you update that fic of yours....i reckon its really kool!_

**Theresa: **_Hey, everyone wants to know what happens next...god, cliffies are so useful huh? lol. Thanx._

**Spazzy's Girl: **_THANX!!!!! I would definitely appreciate youreviewing every chapter...this fic ain't doing so well._

Another thing ppl; I want you to check out my other fic _Corrupted Dreams_ which is totally different from this one, and _Careless Whispers_ by **_DeathRebel_**, which is a fic me and my mate Truble teamed up to write. It's really funny!!

Anyway, thats all from me sooooo ciao people........

Chiya


	5. Party Animal

A/N: I'm kinda annoyed right now cos I had already typed this up before only my disk screwed up so now I have to rewrite it. Honestly, I reckon someone up there really hates me…anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade, nor do I own it characters. They belong to some Japanese company that I can't remember the name of. Is that simple enough people?

Eye Of The Storm

Chapter 5: Party Animal

Whispers. Whispers, whispers, whispers. All around me. All _about _me. Che, can't they shut up already? Oh wow, look, there's Willow snogging her best friend Johnny! Call the press!! It's amazing!!! God, half of them thought we were having some secret love affair anyway, so why when proved correct do they have to be all surprised about it?

I was in the hallway, struggling to open my locker. Holly christened it The Terrible Locker III, since the two last lockers I had were also really annoying and never opened for me. Lockers in general don't like me. I reckon it's because I keep scribbling all over it in permanent marker pens and sticking up loads of pictures on the inside.

Doesn't everyone though?

'Well, well, well, if it isn't Mrs McGregor.' Someone sneered behind me. After two long years of hearing that voice throw lame insults at me, it was easy to recognise. Especially after my first two weeks here.

'What, so I start dating a guy and suddenly I'm donning his surname? Wow, if that happened with every guy I would've had loads of surnames.' I said, trying the combination again.

'Not just any guy though, is it Tate?'

I looked over my shoulder, and raised an eyebrow at Amber. She was standing in a natural pose, arms crossed and blonde hair tossed over her shoulder.

'No, not just any guy. My best mate.' I replied flatly, turning back to my locker. After struggling with it for two more seconds I lost my patience and whammed my fist into the lock. It swung open.

I knew fists were useful for a reason.

'Tut, tut, such violence. Honestly, it almost makes up for your ugly face, that attitude of yours. But not quite.'

I hate her, I hate her, I hate her…

'Bored here, Amber. You're going to try harder than that.' I said dully, although inside I was still marvelling over that kiss…

I reached inside my locker and retrieved my Biology and English notes. As I slammed the door shut, I saw Amber narrowing her eyes at me, her position changing.

Okay, bitch, you wanna fight? Come get me!

And I walked away from her.

'Where d'you think you're going Tate?' she snarled. 'I haven't said you could leave.'

I don't think Amber has ever been blanked. No, seriously, she totally can't've been blanked before. Cos she completely blew a fuse when I ignored her and kept on walking.

'Tate, you bitch, get your ass back here! I was talking to you!'

I turned around at the double doors at the end of the hallway. People were watching, and I was glad. I slowly backed through the doors, smirking.

'Bite me.' I said slowly, before walking away, relishing the sight of her contorted face.

Yep, that totally made me feel a lot better.

* * *

I was running. Why? Cos for the first time on my whole life, I was late to my English class.

English is one of my favourite classes. Maybe one day I'll be a writer, I dunno, but I just love burying myself in ideas and bringing them across on paper. Either way, besides orchestra and art, it was my favourite class.

And I was late.

I skidded past the reception, only just about slowing down long enough to turn without crashing into anything, before hurtling down the mostly empty corridor. I went past Mrs Jackson's office, darting around the thin blonde headmistress just coming out.

'NO RUNNING IN THE CORRIDORS TATE!!' she screamed at my retreating back.

'WELL GUESS WHAT, I'M RUNNING!' I screamed back, crashing into another set of double doors and stumbling straight into the English department. Gasping for breath, I dashed into the classroom.

Mr. Connors was just taking the register.

'Holly?'

'Good morning sir!'

'Willow?'

'Yup, right here!' I gasped, leaning over.

'Tate, ten minutes late. Got an explanation?'

'Which one? There's the one where I had to fight a purple dragon with pink spots who wouldn't let me past reception, and then there's the one where a certain redheaded Russian decided to lock me in the janitor's closet, and I've been kicking the door til it broke to pieces. Quite frankly, I reckon the one with the purple dragon with pink spots is more realistic.' I said thoughtfully, causing half the class to laugh.

'That twisted humour of yours will get you in big trouble one day, Tate.' Mr. Connors warned me, though I could see he was trying to prevent himself from laughing. He's only twenty-three, and a great teacher in my opinion. 'So Volkov locked you in the janitor's closet huh?'

'Who said it was Volkov?' I chirped innocently, dropping into my seat between Holly and Mika Kito, a really shy but nice girl.

Connors chuckled at my response. 'Don't worry, he's not in trouble.'

The guy is so decent for a teacher. It kinda freaks me out sometimes.

'Well he shouldn't be. I never said he did anything remember?'

'Yes, well, if you let me finish the register, I can actually start the lesson. And don't be late again Tate.'

'I promise sir. Scouts' honour sir.'

'I doubt you were ever in scouts Tate. Or if you were, you were probably kicked out for locking your sister in the games cupboard.'

'Well, no, actually, it was because I "accidentally" emptied a tin of bright blue paint all over the supervisor.'

The whole class burst out laughing.

'My point exactly.' He said, smirking while continuing with the register.

Yep, he is definitely my favourite teacher.

* * *

'Hey Lils.' Johnny murmured into my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist. I giggled as everybody in the cafeteria turned to watch.

'Hey Johnny.' I replied, turning around and kissing him passionately, while teasingly nibbling on his bottom lip.

We pulled away, smiling. Johnny sat in his usual seat, pulling me onto his lap and keeping an arm around my waist.

'I still don't get how you managed to hide it from us. The googly eyes you were making during break were totally impossible to miss.' Tala said, biting into his sandwich.

'Not to mention the fact I actually sleep in the same bedroom as you and I never noticed anything.' Holly quipped, sitting between Ray and Tala, noticeable tension lingering between her and Tala.

'We, people, are the masters of stealth. Same reason you guys never found out about me and Tala until he let it slip.'

Johnny was one of the few people who actually knew what had happened, along with Holly.

'Yeah, but that was a one night stand.' Kai pointed out, and I noticed the lack of a certain blonde on his lap.

'Actually, I want to know, have you slept together?' Tala suddenly asked. I knew that tone of voice: a big brotherly type that would tear any offending male that hurt me.

'No.' we said simultaneously, although we had never even gone over the details.

We were graced by completely shocked faces from the boys, whereas the girls knew the principles behind not sleeping together.

'Why not?'

'Same thing I told the girls: I care too much about our friendship to risk going all the way.' I replied.

'And Johnny agreed to that?'

'Well, duh, she's my best friend, not some girl I picked up at the Topaz Dragon.' Johnny snorted.

Silence ensued, in which I noticed the looks Holly and Tala were giving each other. One thought passed through my head before I could squash it. One thought that probably changed everything.

_They're shagging._

WHAT? No way. No fucking way. Why did I think that? Holly would never cheat on Ray. And besides, Holly and Tala don't exactly see eye to eye on everything.

All thoughts flew out of my head when Johnny began kissing my neck.

* * *

Music flooded out onto the street, the multi-coloured lights inside the house flashing and swirling. Hoards of people swayed to the music Enrique was playing, stray groups relaxing in the front lawn. Johnny ran around, grinning happily about finally being eighteen and receiving presents from everyone. His hand hadn't left mine from the time the party started until now, and both of us were quite drunk. It was ten p.m., and the party was just picking up.

'Hey Lils, you gonna play now?' Johnny yelled over the music, even though there was barely an inch of space between us as we danced.

'Yeah, but I gotta find Kara, Mariah and Holly first!' I replied, before spotting my twin dancing quite closely with Tala.

'HOLLY!' I yelled, as I kissed Johnny passionately before leaping off into the crowds to grab Holly.

'HEY, TALA, GONNA HAVE TO STEAL HOLLY NOW!'

'OKAY!'

I sighed as Tala smiled and quickly kissed Holly's cheek (Okay, repeat after me: they're not shagging, they're not shagging…) before disappearing into the crowd.

'C'mon, we're up in a sec.' I told her, and she nodded.

Johnny had set up a little stage at the end of the dancing hall, where we always play and sometimes practice. Our instruments were already there, waiting for us. Enrique was on a raised block on the stage, doing his DJ thing, nodding his head in tune to the music.

We found Mariah and Kara in Johnny's bedroom, since he had told us we could get changed into our performance gear there.

I wriggled out of my red Chinese mini-dress and let out my hair, which had been pined up with two chopsticks. I found the outfit I had placed in Johnny's walk in wardrobe and got ready, reapplying my make up at the same time.

My outfit consisted of a black pleated mini-skirt and a red tank top with a black fishnet top over it that revealed my pierced belly button. A pair of knee length black leather boots completed the look. My hair was left to tumble down my shoulders, styled to look extra messy and wavy, with temporary electric blue highlights. My green eyes were outlined boldly with black eyeliner; my eye shadow a misty purple and deep purple lipstick covered my lips. Overall, I looked like a punk on a mission.

I turned to the others. Holly was wearing a black mini-dress and ripped fishnet tights. Her brown suede boots went halfway towards the knees, and her chestnut brown hair was also extra messy, spilling down her back. Kara had done her makeup with brown eyeliner and eye shadow, and blood red lipstick. Holly, as usual, had grumbled about her clothes showing too much until she shut up when she realised how good she looked.

Kara herself was wearing her favourite corset-tank top, which was black and red. Her black combats rested low on her hips, and her trainers were loose and falling apart from all the times she had used them while slamming her foot onto the pedal on the drum kit. Her midnight blue hair was pulled back into their usual low pigtails, her face not as smothered in makeup as ours. A layer of mascara, some black eyeliner and a touch of clear lipgloss.

Mariah was out of her white into the red. She wore a red mini-dress with black snakes slithering from her right hip across the material. A funky black studded belt wound loosely around her waist, serving no purpose. Her pink hair been temporarily dyed a deep blood red that matched Tala's. Her eyes were outlined with black eyeliner, her lips also blood red. Blusher livened up her cheeks, and her glitzy silver eye shadow glittered in the light.

All in all, we looked like a real rock group. Especially since Kara was revealing the dragon tattoo on her forearm.

'Ready girls?' Kara asked, finally happy with her appearance. She had been tugging at her hair for the last five minutes.

'Let's knock their socks off!' I smirked, and I was met with wide grins.

We entered the stage as the lights went, giving us time to grab our instruments. The room went quiet as Enrique switched off the DJ deck.

'Boys and girls, may I give you the four girls that have rocked our town off it's feet. Be ready to scream, cos I give you…THE TWISTED ANGELS!' Enrique announced. The lights flickered on again, revealing Holly throwing rocky poses at the microphone, while I stood near by with my electric blue guitar. Mariah stood on Holly's other side, in pose. Kara sat ready to beat the crap out of her drum kit.

'WE ARE THE TWISTED ANGELS AND WE'RE HERE TO SEND YOU TO HELL!' Holly screamed, and then Mariah, Kara and me all slammed into gear, the punk/rock music filling the room.

_Being thrown to the ground_

_Wrenched off your feet_

_The bruises on your body_

_They're for real_

_And they're never going away_

Holly paused for a second, allowing the music to wash over the swaying audience.

_The tears flowing down your cheeks_

_The hand that shakes so badly_

_Why do you hide them?_

_Why do you run away?_

_The screams echoing off walls_

_In a corridor deep beneath the ground _

_The pain so heartfelt_

_And I know it's you._

_The blood splattered on the floors_

_So deep and sickening_

_Staining the carpet forever_

_And I know it's yours._

My solo guitar piece arrived and my fingers moved fluidly over the strings. Soon Holly's voice flowed over the notes.

_I told you to leave him_

_I told you to walk away_

_You always say yes_

_But yet you stay_

_Deceiving dangers_

_Total annihilation_

_What are you doing here?_

_Why aren't you walking away?_

_The screams echoing off walls_

_In a corridor deep beneath the ground _

_The pain so heartfelt_

_And I know it's you_

_The blood splattered on the floors_

_So deep and sickening_

_Staining the carpet forever_

_And I know it's yours…_

_And I know you're gone…_

Holly finished the song, letting the last note flutter into the crowd. The cheers were immense; nobody had heard that song before. This was the first time we had ever performed it, considering Kara and I had only written it a few weeks ago.

After that we rocked through the rest of our set, some being slow tracks, although most were fast, rocky and eardrum bursting loud. It was midnight when we finally finished, singing "Happy Birthday" to a slightly drunk Johnny while the MASSIVE chocolate and strawberry-icing cake was brought through.

When the candles were blown out, Enrique stepped up to take over, filling the room with club music. Johnny immediately grabbed my hand, and despite me being exhausted from jumping up and down on the stage, and dragged me out onto the dance floor for some major hip grinding.

Hey, where did the vodka go?

* * *

It was one o'clock in the morning. Everything around me was swimming, every so often coming into focus to reveal people passed out in the corridors. I frowned, trying to concentrate on finding Johnny again. He had disappeared about half an hour ago, and considering my state and the fact Johnny owned a freakin' enormous mansion, it was a fruitless search.

Where the fuck did he go?

_I seriously need a snog._

Uhhh, whoa…world spinning. Why is the world spinning?? Make it stop!!!

Wow, pretty vase…oh no, don't touch Willow…you'll break it…

_But the vase is really pretty…!_

Touch vase equals break vase which means Johnny angry.

_Johnny angry bad!_

Yes, very bad. Now find Johnny!!!

After the inner turmoil I moved away from the gigantic blue vase and approached a door. I heard movements inside, and caught a glimpse of bright red hair through the gap.

YAY! JOHNNY!!!

But it wasn't Johnny, as I realised when I opened the door. It was Tala.

With Holly.

Snogging.

_Wait a sec, isn't that suppose to be bad!?

* * *

_

Okay, so now you know why Holly was acting weird...and I'm always open to suggestions too!

ANDTHANX TO ALL MY REVIEWERS PEOPLE!!!

AND KEEP ON REVIEWING TOO!

Lol. Anyways.......ciao people!

Chiya


	6. At The Brink

Heya everyone, im back!! okay, soz bout da wait but iput chappie five up just before i went away for xmas and there was no internet where i was goin!! Anywayz so ijust got back, and its nearly midnight but im still gonna update for ya!!! REVIEW!!

* * *

Eye Of The Storm

Chapter Six: At The Brink

'Did I miss a memo or somethin'?' I blinked, trying to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks me.

Holly, or I _think_ its Holly, jumped about a foot into the air, disentangling herself from Tala and turning to stare guiltily at me. There was no mistaking my own twin's face.

'Willow?' Holly said hesitantly. I guess it was clear that I was completely drunk, considering I was swaying on the spot and blinking very stupidly at them.

'Okay…sis, you bad.' I pointed at her, my hand shaking, 'Not suppose to cheat on Ray!' I then pointed at Tala who was staring sheepishly at the floor. 'Tala, Ray your mate! Whatcha doin' with my sis?' I exclaimed, accidentally forgetting a few crucial words, but I was drunk!

'Willow, you're drunk,' Tala sighed, finally raising his icy turquoise eyes to meet mine. Granted, mine were slightly out of focus, but hey, what's a girl gonna do?

'I KNOW THAT!' I yelled, suddenly angry. 'But I'm not the one snogging my friend's girlfriend!'

Tala flinched, but the arm wrapped around Holly's waist tightened.

'What you have to understand, Willow-' Holly began, but I cut her off.

'I don't need to understand anything Holly! Ray is one of my best mate's…and then the girl dating him, _my sister_, goes off to shag my other best mate!'

My anger made the world come back into focus, my thoughts sharper and mind clearing. But within seconds all I could think about was how angry I was, how wrong the whole situation was.

'What happened to my Holly, huh? What happened to my sweet, smart, INNOCENT sister?!' I yelled, tears filling my eyes so that the world once again became blurred.

I suddenly felt arms being wrapped around me, and I didn't move away from my sister's embrace.

'She isn't gone,' Holly muttered. 'I just…Willow, I'm confused as you. I don't understand anymore…' suddenly she was fighting tears herself. I realised just exactly what she would be going through, the things that would've happened to throw Holly into an insecure state.

'Okay, you know what, I'm goin'. I-I gotta find Johnny. Sis, think about what you doin' please. And Tala, god I swear if you hurt her, I will personally hunt you down and serve your balls on a silver platter.'

Tala cringed at the threat but nodded. 'I didn't plan on hurting her in any way Willow. You have my word,'

I nodded, turning to Holly. She was silently crying, pleading with me with her large brown eyes. Eyes that had lost the spark of innocence. And that's what scared me the most. That was why I walked out with another word.

* * *

I had only made it down the hall when I heard footsteps behind me. I whirled around to see Johnny's grinning face.

'Cass!' he said brightly, 'I've been lookin' for you everywhere!'

I closed my eyes in frustration, before letting the alcohol take over my system again. I let my head cloud over, forcing away any thoughts Holly, Tala or Ray related. When I opened my eyes again, I grinned at my boyfriend.

'Johnny! Baby, where you been?'

He frowned at me, as if detecting something was wrong but unable to tell what it was while completely trashed. Then he grinned mischievously at me, pushing me gently against the wall and leaning in.

'Lookin' for you,' he repeated, his lips colliding with mine in a desperate kiss, and I could tell he was sexually frustrated.

It was then I lost all thoughts, acting on instinct and falling into the world of being drunk.

_Need…want…must have…_

Before I knew it, we were in his massive bedroom; Johnny tugging on my top as we fell onto his king sized bed.

I guess it's time to find out if Johnny really is the sex god as everyone says he is.

* * *

Urghhhh.

Head hurts. Bad. Pounding.

Have the cells been playing football in my head again!?!

_And the brain cells score! Supporters of the white blood cells (mainly me) yelling their disapproval. Referee red blood cell no.1290746483 is yelling…what's this? The goal was disapproved! The brain cells don't look too happy…oh no, they're attacking the referee! Somebody stop them!!_

I tell you, if they don't stop with those matches in my head, you'll be untying a rope from around the neck of my very dead corpse in the near future.

I rolled over, groaning, only to find a very hot and very _naked_ redhead sprawled out on the bed, the sheets piled at his waist.

Oh God, Johnny.

Memories of last night flooded back, reminding me of the chaos last night. The performance, getting drunk on vodka, finding Holly and Tala, and, oh god, _sleeping with Johnny._

Okay, whatever I did to upset you God, I'd like to take this chance to say I'm really sorry.

Not that what I did wasn't enjoyable, but we had agreed to try not to shag until we were comfortable with it. So much for _that_.

Hang on a sec, why is it that when I'm upset with one of my friends, I go shag another??

I really need to sort that out.

'Lils?'

I jumped, realising Johnny had woken up.

'Hey,' I said, rubbing my temples in feeble hope that my migraine would go away.

'Oh shit,' he groaned, as the memories of last night also flooded him. 'Damn, I'm really sorry Willow,' he said, sitting up.

'S'okay. Two players dating, both drunk, bound to happen some time.' I reassured him.

'But that doesn't make it okay!' he protested.

I groaned, rolling over and pulling myself over the edge of the gigantic king sized bed. I was only just aware that I was naked as the day as I was born but hey, I just shagged my best mate, I think that qualifies me a pretty good reason to walk around naked.

'I'm sorry Willow,' Johnny repeated.

AND THAT CHANGES ANYTHING???

'Look, it's not just your fault, you know. I hold some of the blame, if not most. So save the apologies!' I retorted, getting on my hands and feet and retrieving my missing underwear from under the bed.

I don't wanna even know how they got there!

I can tell you right now that this is nothing like what happened when I woke up naked next to Tala. I never knew I could _scream_ so loud!

Okay, so that morning I woke up and screamed so loud that Tala fell right off the bed!! God, that was hilarious now that I look back at it, but anyways… THEN I went into a panic, Tala tried to calm me down and we ended up screaming at each other. After that we managed to sort ourselves out (don't ask me how, but it sure was a miracle of some sort) and go our separate ways.

'Lils?'

I turned around to see Johnny, who had pulled on his boxers, approaching me as I pulled on my jeans.

'What?'

'Where do we stand?' he murmured, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him.

WHERE DO WE STAND!? HOW DA HELL SHOULD I KNOW—Uhhh don't move that hand…

Well, okay, you know how we were just standing there, with his arm wrapped around my waist? Yeah all innocent and stuff, even though what had happened before was totally not innocent, but really, how the hell did we end up playing tonsil hockey!?

Honestly, you'd think we would be able to keep our hormones in check by now but nooooooo instead we go around snogging our mates—oh my god, if he stops I will not be held responsible for my actions!!

* * *

'There you are Willow!' Holly said cheerfully but I could tell she was desperately trying to cover any tension that had suddenly erupted.

So it's Monday and I had spent the whole of Sunday morning with Johnny, spent the afternoon working in Oliver's café and crashed out in Kara and Kai's guest room for the night. Of course I didn't tell them that Holly's having some affair with Tala, do you think I'm mad!? But I did tell Kara that I slept with Johnny and she yelled so loud that eventually Kai got it outta me. So right now I'm hanging on to Kai's arm so that he doesn't go starting a stupid pointless fight with one of his best friends.

'Hey Holly,' I replied, yelping as Kai tugged violently on his arm the moment Johnny walked into the room.

'Hey Cass, hey Kai- whoa, what's crawled up your ass and died!?' he exclaimed, stopping dead about two feet away from a fuming Kai.

Dude, RUN!

'You did!' Kai snarled.

'Me? Sorry, mate, but I don't think I quite fit--'

'KAI, GET A GRIP!' I interrupted before Johnny could set off Kai's anger. Kai doesn't get angry often but when he does, whoa everybody run, he's gonna blow!

Suddenly Kai whirled around to face me, auburn eyes clouded with the storm that was about to break to the surface.

'Cass, you shouldn't of-'

'YES I KNOW!' I yelled before he could get the rest of the sentence out. I do not need everybody knowing that I shagged him for crike's sake!

'Okay, is this about Saturday? Cos if it is, that's our business Kai,' Johnny said, finally clocking on what was going here.

Dude, do I need to repeat this? RUN!!!!!!

'Okay, what _is _going on?' Holly interrupted, rather bravely, I gotta admit. I noticed that Kara and Mariam had joined her.

'Explain later.' I said shortly, before rounding on Kai. 'You, I'm seventeen years old, I can do what I want and I already have an older brother to attack me with all this shit.' Then I rounded on Johnny, barely registering Tala appearing at my elbow. 'And you, try not to get killed, okay? I'm not finished with you, so it would suck to have to bury you,'

Kai spluttered at my words, which most definitely had a double meaning and just stared at me.

Ohh, his little Cass is all growing up!

Ha ha ha!

Oh yeah, I love that guy.

So I grabbed Holly's arm, hooking another through Kara's and dragged the two to homeroom.

'Babe, you rock!' Kara chortled.

'Oh yeah,' I smirked.

* * *

Two days later…

'Dudes, have any of you seen Johnny?' I asked the girls who were all gathered just outside the science block.

'What, that tall redhead?' Kara quipped, blowing out a stream of cigarette smoke.

'Yeah,'

'Scottish?' Mariah asked.

'Yeah!' I repeated, getting annoyed.

'_Really_ buff?' Mariam chimed.

'_Yeah!'_

'Nope, sorry,' Kara grinned, dragging a breath from her cigarette. Okay kids, let me warn you now, smoking is bad for you! Honestly, half the kids here are hooked, and Kara's the only one who seems to be taking my advice and cutting down.

'UHHH!'

'Awww,' Mika grinned, looking at me with her big blue eyes. 'He went that way with Tala and Kai babe,' she pointed over to the big oak tree that we sometimes sit under. I could see the three figures, one leaning against the tree, the others lounging on the grass.

'Oh great, I think they're having a guy moment,' I scowled, crossing my arms in annoyance.

'GUY MOMENT!?' Mariah and Mariam yelled with equally horrified looks.

'NOT IN THAT WAY!' I shrieked, equally horrified. Holly and Mika looked at me uncertainly, but Kara was also wearing a complete look of disgust.

'She means they're having those times when they compare player scores or in some cases boast about hot girlfriends,' Kara explained hurriedly.

'What did you think?' Holly asked the two girls.

'Uhhh, nothing!' Mariah squeaked, obviously trying to get rid of any bad mental images.

I shook my head violently, trying to get rid of my own bad mental images…I tell you, having Kai and Tala snogging is not the best thing that could be on your mind. All together now: EWWWWWWWWWW!

'ANYWAYS! Did any of you do your Biology homework cos I kinda forgot and-' I said, and the others seemed grateful for the change of subject. But before I could even finish the question Holly butted in.

'Oh no you don't missy!' Holly said loudly, grabbing my arm and starting to pull me away from others. 'You're so not copying off anyone sis, you should've done it at home!'

'But--'

'Nuh uh!'

'_Merde_!' Ahem. Please excuse my French.

'Anyway, you've been avoiding me since Saturday,' Holly started, and I cringed. Okay, so I had been avoiding my sister, but I had a perfectly good reason. I mean, who DOES want to talk about the fact their sister is cheating on their best friend?? Well, you might, but I sure as hell DON'T!

'Holly I don't have time for this I gotta go do my Biology homework before lunch is over!' I exclaimed, already walking towards the school. Y'know, besides the fact there is no way in hell I'm actually gonna do some stupid worksheet during valuable spare time, that was a pretty good excuse! I mean, even Holly couldn't argue with that!!

'Willow, _please_!' she called after me.

I waved her off.

_'I need you sis,'_

I instantly froze. The words were spoken in a soft whisper but to me it was like those brain cells had decided to play metal music on full volume. I hate those words. I hate the fact Holly does need help and she's asking for it, even though she'd quite proud and usually pulls through by herself.

I slowly turned around. Holly was on the verge of tears, looking upset and confused. The front she had put on for god knows how long had slipped away to reveal a lost teenager.

How could I be so blind?

So hurtful and heartless?

'Lollie…' I stepped forward, and she fell into my arms, crying into my shoulder.

'I'm so sorry Lila! I d-didn't mean for it t-to ha-happen! Its o-only b-been two weeks si-since it first started b-but now I don't know wh-what to do! Lila, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!'

'Don't apologise,' I muttered, stroking her chestnut locks soothingly. 'No matter what, you got me, okay?'

That was the beginning of the first fight between the boys and us. The one that would disrupt everything, tear the whole town into pieces. Holly was confused, upset and suffering, but it wasn't up to me to bring her back on track. For once, I had no control.

But I was right in the centre.

* * *

Okay, so there you go!! hope ya enjoy and ill put up da nxt chappie in the nxt coupla days, depending on how many reviews i get. Thanx to all my reviewers, and just a note; there will be no triangles involving Willow and Johnny!! Okay, maybe a couple of mishaps, but dats all im saying!

Ciao

Chiya


	7. Explainations and Answers

Heya guys, well like I said here's the nxt chappie, nice and quick huh? Well show your appreciation and review!!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for my own characters and the plot.

* * *

Eye Of The Storm

Chapter Seven: Explanations and Answers

'AAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

'He he he…whoops?'

'KARA SKYLAR HIWATARI YOU ARE SO DEAD!'

Heh, the joys of being the Hiwatari's neighbours. Oh what wonders it brings…like having Kai and Kara screaming at each other every morning! And that usually sets off Cassie and Ruby, so you've always got the howling as well! Great, innit?

Oh for God's sake, SHUT THE HELL UP!

'WILLOW CASSANDRA TATE!'

Uhhh, now what!?

I blearily made my way downstairs even though it was only 7:45 a.m. and technically I should have been asleep for at least another fifteen minutes but who's gonna sleep with them lot next door screaming the neighbourhood down?

'What?' I said irritably to my mother.

Judy Tate stood next to a large pile of dirty clothes, wearing a complete look of disgust.

'That!' she shrieked at me, pointing at the laundry. 'What are _your _dirty clothes doing in the middle of the hallway!?'

My clothes? Huh??? I don't leave dirty clothes anywhere except the floor of my bedroom! Unless…

I bent down and picked up a t-shirt. It wasn't mine, or Holly's. The pitch black t-shirt with golden dragon emblazed on the front didn't belong to anyone living in this house. So it must belong to _Kara…_

What were they doing in the hallway? Kara sometimes slept over (somehow always ending up in Max's bed) so I wasn't so much surprised that they belonged to her. But the question was, why weren't they in Max's room? Or even in Holly's and mine?

Oh shit…

'Well!?' she demanded.

'Oh right…yeah, sorry Mom,' I said quickly, blinking in surprise. I gathered the clothes and hurried upstairs to Max's room.

'Max!' I yelled, banging on his door.

'Go away!' came a muffled yell.

'Nuh uh, no way matey! You better be decent cos I'm coming in!' I replied hotly, giving him a few seconds before kicking open the door and walking straight in.

The room was in total chaos. The duvets were heaped on the floor, there were papers everywhere and books scattered across the floor. The wardrobe doors were hanging open, random clothes pulled out and hauled aside. There was a hole in the wall where someone had very obviously punched it, and one of the shelves was dangling on one side. And at the back, leaning against the wall, was Max. He was sitting with his arms fastened around his legs, his knees pulled up to his chest. His blonde hair flopped messily into his brilliant blue eyes…eyes that were once full of life had been reduced to dull depressed orbs.

'Max?'

I scrambled over a pile of screwed up paper balls and old comics from before I was born and dropped to my knees in front of my older brother.

'Maxie, what happened?' I said gently.

'Kara…' he mumbled.

I frowned. 'What did Kara do?'

No response.

'Y-you didn't break up, did you?'

The question in itself was ridiculous. I mean, Kara and Max, break up!? Hello, you're talking about a couple of soul mates who are completely in love! They can't break up…right?

'Yes.'

I- WHAT!?

'What d'ya mean!? What happened?' I yelped.

'I…I can't tell you. I promised not to.' Max said in a depressed tone. God knows what he's going through. There he was, with his soul mate and the girl he loved, life going well, and then BANG! He's lost it all.

'Oh Maxie, I'm so sorry!' I cried, wrapping my arms around him. He welcomed the hug, burying his face into my neck. His whole body was trembling, fighting against tears.

_Oh Kara, what have you done?_

* * *

By break time the whole school was buzzing about Kara and Max's break up and that no one knew anything. Kara had decidedly stayed away from me and Max so far, but when I did see her in class, her eyes were circled with deep purple bags and she seemed close to tears herself. 

Kai was livid.

'SO WHO DID THE BREAKING UP THEN?' he was yelling.

D'you think I know!?!

'WELL I DON'T KNOW! MAX AIN'T SAYING ANYTHING AND KARA'S BEEN AVOIDING ME!' I screamed.

'Guys?' Johnny ventured, nervously trying to avoid having any of Kai's anger directed at him.

'What?' I said wearily to my boyfriend (BOYFRIEND! How often do I get to say that without knowing that I'm about to drop him?!).

'Maybe it was a joint decision?'

I blinked. Well, there's a point…

'Yeah, but why? They were perfect for each other…why break up?'

'Maybe something happened,' added Tala, 'Like an accidental drunken snog at a party and they've decided to break up for some space,'

Kai considered this.

Then he sighed in defeat.

'Neither are talking, so we'll never know what happened since they're pretty stubborn. I guess we'll have to wait for them to sort it out for themselves.'

This seriously sucks.

Don't I have enough to worry about already???

* * *

Water pounded on my skin, a welcomed haven from all the problems that had arisen so quickly. My hair clung to my shoulders, the red highlights darkening until you could barely tell the difference from my natural black hair. 

It's been ages since I've had a nice long shower; it's always jump in then out, five minutes and that's it. But thankfully it's Saturday, and boy did this week go slow. I mean, Max's still fighting off the tears every time he sees Kara, and Kara herself has been crying herself to sleep every night, according to Kai. Holly and Tala have settled for stolen kisses in alleyways, meeting up while pretending they're elsewhere. Every time I see Ray now, I get surged by guilt and I can't talk to him for long.

'Stupid Holly, stupid Max, stupid Tala and stupid Kara,' I grumbled under my breath, rinsing out the shampoo.

'You forgot stupid Johnny,'

I gasped, almost slipping on the soap in my surprise. Excuse me, but what the fuck is HE doing here, in my bathroom!?

WHILE I'M TAKING A SHOWER!?!

'Uhhh, what the heck are you doing here!?' I demanded, as I poked my head around the shower curtain to see Johnny leaning against the closed door, smirking at me.

'Watching my girlfriend shower,' he replied.

I gaped at him.

'You scared me!' I said weakly, unable to find something else to say.

Yup, I, Willow "Cass" Tate, the always chatting, always has something to say, IS FREAKIN' SPEECHLESS!

Well, there's a first for everything I suppose.

'Sorry babe, but I missed you too much to bother to knock,' he said with a cocky grin.

'And I missed you too, all through the night,' I said sarcastically, although, god forbid, that was actually true. What the hell was happening with us? It was a game, nothing was real but at the same time it was ecstasy, it was something to look forward to, something to miss as soon as it was gone.

I sighed in wonder as I returned to my shower, finishing off within five minutes. Johnny didn't move, but whistled cheerfully as he waited.

'Pass a towel please!'

'Come out and get one. Nothing I ain't seen before you know,'

I groaned, flinging the soap in his direction and laughing as he swore. That'll teach ya!

His response was a towel flung at my face.

'Thanks!' I chirped, wrapping the towel around my naked body and stepping out of the shower.

And was instantly trapped between Johnny and a wall.

Now how did _that _happen?

'How do you move so fast?' I mumbled, feeling his hand running over my bare shoulder and up my neck.

'Practice,' he replied, and my breath hitched in my throat as the other hand caressed my skin through the towel. And to think, the only thing separating us was a single piece of cloth…

'_Johnny…_'

I was so confused. What was really happening with us? But I knew one thing.

Johnny is my best friend, and he'll always be. He'll always be there when I need him, and we'll always have a laugh. But now it was something more. He was like crack cocaine; one taste and you're addicted.

And I'm addicted to Johnny.

Great, huh?

No wonder all the girls are drooling after him—

Ohhhh, that feels good… 

He was leaving a trail of kisses all over my skin. My arms, shoulders, neck, cheeks, nose, mouth…

Oh boy… 

Where did his t-shirt go? Oh yeah, I took it off…I'm losing it now, my head's all fuzzy…

'_Johnny…'_ my voice was more urgent now, and impatient.

The towel was gone, and so were all the clothes. It was just me and him now, just one step away from heaven.

And to heaven I went.

* * *

Hmmm…strawberry milkshake and chocolate ice cream…yummy…

'WILLOW!'

'Uh, whoops, sorry babe,' I cringed, snapping out of my personal heaven and looking up at my sister.

'God, why are you so outta it today?' she sighed, finally giving up on lecturing me about the prank Tala and I had pulled on Amber on Friday. Or was she yapping on about getting a D in my Algebra exam?

'Cos I just shagged Johnny this morning?' I suggested brightly.

'That's nice…' she sighed.

I waited with a smirk.

'…you WHAT!?'

'And why are you so outta it today yourself? Usually takes less time for the words to sink in,' I asked curiously, although Holly was still gaping at me across the table in Oliver's café.

She said some words I didn't think would ever leave her mouth.

'Cos I just lost my virginity to Tala?'

'_Really now…_'

Two seconds later and I realised she wasn't kidding.

'YOU GOTTA BE JOKING!'

It was her turn to smirk at me.

It was my turn to gape across the table.

Wow.

That's all I have to say.

_Wow_.

'So…explain this whole thing with Johnny and I'll explain about Tala,' Holly said with a sigh, though she seemed curious about Johnny.

That's when I realised with a heart-wrenching jolt that for the first time in our lives, Holly and I had been keeping secrets from each other.

Now that's just wrong.

We've never _ever_ had secrets. Not even when Holly was sexually assaulted back in our old school, which therefore led to me being expelled from that school for nearly killing the guy who did it. And I ain't kidding either. He flat-lined in the hospital, that's how badly injured he was.

But Holly told me only minutes after it happened.

Most girls would be too scared.

But Holly told me. Like I told her about last summer.

So why are there secrets now?

'Okay, if you say so. But promise me one thing sis,'

'What?'

'Lets never keep secrets from each other again.'

'I totally agree.'

And we hugged fiercely, something we hadn't done for a while.

What was happening to us? To everyone? We're falling apart and half of us don't even realise it.

'Okay, well, Johnny and I…it's complicated. It's starting to really confuse me…'

I explained how we got together, how our first kiss had been that morning three weeks back.

'So you saying you first shagged him after a week of being together?' Holly said with raised eyebrows, after I had talked relentlessly for ten minutes.

'Yeah, but that's not the point. The point is, something happened that night. Something happened to us. Suddenly we were taking it more seriously than before, as if we were really together. We kissed when nobody was around, we made love this morning…that's it Holly, I'm thinking about it as making love and not having sex. What's happening Holly? What's happening to us?'

'Willow, there's only one thing I can say right now…you're falling for each other.'

There you go.

The answer.

Clear and simple.

Except for one thing; I was falling for my best friend.

And I did in three weeks flat.

Oh my God…

'Lila?'

_Oh my God…_

'Lila, I know it's a shock but really, you're perfect for each other, and you'll really enjoy it once you've confessed to Johnny…'

_OH MY GOD!!!_

'Lila, damnit, you're not the only one in need of a twin's help!' Holly snapped, clicking her fingers in front of my face. It was effective, and I looked at her with a look of complete shock and horror.

'Okay, tell me about Tala…I need to take my mind off _him_ anyway…' I said weakly, trying to compose myself.

Then I realised Holly would need me here, so I forced myself to listen.

'Okay, so it happened about three weeks ago, the same afternoon when you refused to come down from the gym roof. I was really shaken from the whole thing, cos trust me Will, it ain't nice watching your own sister risking her own neck just to prove something…anyway, I was shaken pretty badly, and you had disappeared with Johnny and Ray had detention after school so I had to ask Tala for a lift home since I wasn't exactly in a great state to skate…'

She took a deep breath, and I squeezed her hand reassuringly.

'Tala took me to the park…by the fountain…so that I could sooth my nerves. I was grateful, but then we got into an argument about Shakespeare…you know how much Tala hates Shakespeare for "creating plays in codes so that four hundred years later kids like us had to break our necks trying to decipher them"--'

'He ain't kidding either,' I grumbled and Holly threw me a look.

'—anyway, then the next thing I know I'm in the bloody fountain, soaked to the bone and Tala laughing his head off at me. I probably tripped or something, but it didn't stop me from pulling Tala in afterwards.' She said, with a slight smirk at the memory, and I chuckled. I could imagine a completely drenched Holly pulling Tala into the fountain!

'So of course then we had a water fight. Completely ridiculous, two teenagers running around in a fountain splashing water at each other in autumn, but hey, sounds like something you would do!'

I had to laugh at that.

'Yup, that's true.'

'But then it happened.' She paused, closing her eyes briefly. 'One second he was chasing me…the next…we were snogging for Japan,'

'Babe, I only have one thing to say to you…_shit_.'

'No kidding,' she snorted, before looking at me hopelessly. 'Of course, I was upset after that,' she continued. 'But now I had my first taste…and Tala wasn't ready to give up either…so here I am, sitting with my twin as I explain how I came to cheat on my boyfriend.'

Then Holly looked at me, and I don't even know what's worse. Holly crying, calling out to me, or Holly looking so lost and confused and me not being able to anything about it?

Before it was Holly getting unwanted attention. Okay, cool, just a couple of punches and kicks, a trip to the hospital and there you go, he won't be bothering Holly again.

But now I had no control.

And I hate having no control. It scares me.

'Hey girls!'

Holly must've jumped about a foot into the air, and I wasn't far behind. I looked around wildly to see Kai, Tala, Johnny, Ray and Ozuma heading towards us.

'Hey guys,' we chorused weakly, looking at each other.

'Hey Lils,' Johnny muttered as I crawled onto his lap and kissed me softly.

'Hmmm….' I replied dreamily, the only difference being that I wasn't acting anymore.

I looked over to Holly, who was perched in Ray's lap and glancing between Tala and me. Then I saw Tala frowning at Ray and immediately turned away.

'What's the matter Cass?' Johnny frowned, looking down at me. Everyone turned to look.

'Oh nothing, just a bit tired. I missed you, y'know,' I smiled up at Johnny.

He knew I was hiding something.

And so did Kai.

* * *

Well there you go, tell me what you think yeah? And thanx to all my reviewers.

Ciao

Chiya


	8. The New Girl

Hey hey ppl, sup? Well, i'm glad you're all enjoying this fic so far, even though i don't have as many reviews as i would like but we cant have everything! So i hope you enjoy this chappie and REVIEW!

Disclaimer:I do not own beyblade, just my own characters and the plot.

* * *

Eye Of The Storm

Chapter Eight: The New Girl

'HEY WILLOW! WAIT UP!!'

Oh shit…please God don't do this to me…

'Honestly, you'd think you were running away from me!' exclaimed Ray cheerfully.

If only you knew…

'He he, right!' I chortled, inwardly praying that someone, _anyone_, would come and save me.

'Well, anyway, you know its Holly's, and yours, birthday in three weeks?'

'Well, duh, how could I forget? 21st November, and I'm finally eighteen!' I said cheerfully.

'Well, what the heck am I suppose to get Holly??'

I stared at him. Before I had been trying to find an escape route, but now all I could was stare at him incredulously.

'You're her boyfriend Ray!' I winced inwardly as I said this but ploughed on anyway, 'You've been dating her for nearly five months-' _and she's been cheating on you for one of those months _'-and you don't know what to get her!?'

'Yeah, and I've spoilt her so much that I don't know what else to get her!' Ray protested with a grin.

Oh God, you weren't meant to say that! D'you know how much it hurts to even talk to you because my sister is cheating on you? Of course you don't, you don't even know that she's having an affair with Tala. Oh Ray, can't you just dump her or something!?

I promise I won't kill you!

'Oh okay, fair enough!'

FAIR!? God Ray, you're gonna be the death of me! You and my conscience!!

'So…any suggestions?'

'Well, don't spend too much on her for starters; she hates it when people do that. Constant reminder to her that there are people in the third world dying from poverty.'

True…kinda.

'And…well, why don't you get her something like a stuffed toy? She loves those…'

Ray raised an eyebrow at me.

'Okay, today was not a good day to ask me that question Ray…or any question in fact. My head hurts like hell so I ain't thinking straight,' I lied quickly.

'Ah, okay, you could've said so earlier. Do you need a lift home?'

'Nah, its okay. Kai's giving me one,' I said quickly.

'If you say so,' he sighed, looking at me suspiciously. But he dropped it and said his goodbyes, leaving me standing next to my locker and about to cry.

Oh bugger…

* * *

It's Friday. Three Fridays before our birthday, but god knows what'll happen in three weeks. I mean, three weeks is all it took for me to fall for my best friend and realise it. 

Johnny.

I haven't told him that I've fallen for him. It'll probably freak him out…hell, it'd freak me out. He's a player damnit, and I'm surprised he hasn't had one of those drunken snogs yet that every player gets.

And then there's Kai.

He suspects something. On all fronts. He suspects Holly and Tala, he suspects my feelings for Johnny and he suspects that there's more than meets the eye with Kara and Max's break up.

Kara still cries herself to sleep every night.

Max still doesn't talk much.

Kai's a sharp guy. So I don't blame him for suspecting. In fact, the sooner he figures out that Holly and Tala are having an affair, the better, cos I really don't like being the only one that knows.

By the way, don't tell Holly I said that!!!

Speaking of Kai…

'HEY KAI!' I yelled, running of to the auburn eyed boy standing by the pitch black Dodge Viper he had gotten for his seventeenth birthday, the lucky bastard.

'Hey hey_ Akari_!' he replied with a grin as I ran towards him, my skateboard tucked underneath my arm. _Akari_ basically means light in Japanese, and he's called me that for god knows how long. 'What's up?'

'I need a lift. Spare a seat?' I asked breathlessly.

'Sure. Kara's heading off to Oliver's anyway…what's wrong with your skateboard?'

'Nothing. Why would anything be wrong with Viper?'

'Cos you never go by car if your skateboard's available,' Kai explained, raising an eyebrow at me.

'Oh well, you know, I couldn't be bothered…'

I've never been that great at excuses!

'_Sure_…' Kai said sarcastically, but held the door open anyway. 'SKATEBOARD IN THE BOOT CASS!!!'

'Uhhh…whoops?'

Kai hates getting his leather interior dirty, and trust me, my skateboard is _filthy_. I just never bother to clean it.

'Whoops my ass Tate,' he grumbled as I slammed the boot shut.

'Sorry!!'

'Shut up and get in Willow.'

'Okay, okay!'

Once I was settled in, and Kai was speeding down the road at 90mph, he decided to interrogate me.

'Okay, Cass, what the heck is wrong with you?'

'Huh? Nothing!' I said a little too quickly.

'Don't pull that one on me _Akari_, I'm not stupid. You've been acting weird since the party!'

'How have I been acting weird!?' I demanded.

'For starters, you've been way quieter than usual. You barely ever stop to chat to Ray anymore, you don't talk to your sister and Tala a lot and you start BLUSHING every time you see Johnny! Cass, never in the two years I have known you have I ever seen you blush!'

'Oh bloody hell, do you have to be so observant all the time!?' I snapped, more out of anger at myself than at him.

'I do, because things like this happen!' Kai countered, his eyes never leaving the road ahead.

Then all the frustration fell on top of me at once, everything that had gone wrong, everything that was worrying me hit me like a ton of bricks all in one go, and I couldn't handle it.

_I couldn't handle it._

And I screamed. I screamed in frustration, a short scream that made Kai pull over and I instantly got out and kicked the nearest rock, sending dust billowing around us. And then I just collapsed onto my knees and began to cry.

Um, do the words _oh fuck_ spring to mind?

* * *

'Well, I knew there was something going on.' Kai commented as he wiped away the smudged mascara from my cheeks. 

'Oh shut up,' I sniffed.

Kai sighed, throwing the tissue into the bin that resided in the corner of his room.

'So…gonna explain?'

'Not my place to…well, most of it anyway,' I replied.

I broke down. I cannot believe I broke down! Urgh…embarrassing!

'So what about the bits where it is okay to tell?'

Smarty pants!

'If you insist on knowing, I'VE ONLY GONE AND FALLEN FOR MY BEST FRIEND!!'

Kai winced, before the words sunk in and his eyes widened.

'You're kidding?'

'Do I look like I'm kidding _baka_!?'

'I guess not!' he exclaimed, holding his hands up in a don't-hurt-me gesture.

The door opened. Kara poked her head around the door, and winced slightly when she saw me. I guess I remind her of Max…

'Is everything okay?' she asked nervously. 'Only I heard yelling…'

'Yeah, we're all cool sis,' Kai replied.

'Oh, so why does Cass look like she's been crying?'

'Cos I _have_ been crying.' I sighed.

'What? Why?' Kara asked in alarm, forgetting about Max and walking in.

'Cos she…uh…' Kai stopped just in time, glancing uncertainly at me.

Why are you treating me like a bomb about to go off huh? _Huh? HUH?!?_

'Break down. Too much stuff happening. Too much stuff to worry about.' I said, unable to form long sentences anymore.

'Oh, well, I hope that doesn't include what happened with me and…' she trailed off, unable to even say my brother's name.

One look from me told her that was exactly one of the things that led to my break down.

I STILL CANNOT BELIEVE I HAD A NERVOUS BREAK DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!

'I'm really sorry Willow,' she muttered.

'Don't be…Kara, I'm sure for whatever reason you and Max broke for it's a good one…' I replied, getting off Kai's king sized bed and reaching over to hug Kara.

'Willow…are you gonna tell Johnny?' Kai asked.

'Are you kidding me? I can't tell him, he'd freak out!!'

'What about Johnny?'

'Cass' fallen- OWWW!'

'Serves you right!'

'Willow, are you saying you've fallen for Johnny!?'

'Ummm…'

'As in Johnny McGregor, your best friend!?'

'Ummm…'

'OWWWW! What was that for!?'

'This is your fault!'

'How the heck is it my fault!?'

'If you hadn't started interrogating me I wouldn't be here!!'

'So I'm right then?'

'YES!'

'OH MY GOD, WILLOW'S IN LOVE!!!!!'

'OH SHUT UP!!!!'

The next thing we know, we've all started laughing our heads off. Wow, the Hiwataris have some serious talent!

* * *

Must…have…strawberry…milkshake… 

Saturday morning and I wake up a massive craving for strawberry milkshake! So I dragged Holly away from her book, grabbed our wheels and headed out to Oliver's.

The moment we walked in I ran to the counter.

'Two strawberry milkshakes and a hot chocolate please Ollie!' I gasped as Holly headed over to where Kara, Mariah and Mariam were sitting.

'Cravings again?' Oliver asked with a smirk, pulling up the milkshakes and pouring some hot chocolate into a mug.

'Yup!'

Every so often I get these kinda cravings. Oliver knows them well, considering he's always there to serve me.

'Here ya go,' he said, plonking the lot onto a tray. I smiled thankfully at him, paid up, before instantly downing the first milkshake as I headed towards the girls.

'Hey Cass,' they greeted.

'Hey babes.' I replied, squeezing myself in between Kara and Holly.

'Oh by the way Cass, there's a new girl in town,' Mariah said, sipping at her cappuccino.

'Really?'

'Uh huh, she's coming to school next Monday. She's gonna be in our class.'

'What's she like?' I asked curiously, having now satisfied my craving.

'Dunno. Just passing on the information I heard from Tala.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Typical of Tala to spot her first huh?'

'Yeah,' laughed Mariam.

'Soooo…new girl. Should be interesting.' I smirked.

* * *

I wasn't kidding when I said it should be interesting. I went to school alone that day seeing as Holly had to go in early, and the first thing I saw as I headed towards my locker was a tall girl with amazing red hair that was tipped with black and violet eyes having a screaming match with Amber Trendson. 

I almost forgot about her actually.

'I WAS ONLY ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS, YOU STUPID BARBIE WANNABE!' screamed the redhead.

Go girl!

'DIRECTIONS MY ASS, YOU WERE FLIRTING WITH HIM!' Amber screamed back.

That's when I noticed Kai watching sheepishly.

And that's when I started laughing my head off.

'WHO D'YOU THINK YOU'RE LAUGHING AT TATE!?' Amber whirled around to face me, her face contorted in anger.

'You!' I spluttered, before regaining control. 'Honestly, she was right when she called you a stupid Barbie wannabe. Only I reckon she missed that part about you being an airhead too though.'

I turned around then, not bothering to wait for her come back. Instead, I went over to the redhead, who was looking rather annoyed but grateful that she had someone on her side. 'I'm Willow Tate. New girl huh?'

'Yup. Destiny Rider.' She grinned, taking the hand I was offering.

'KAI, YOU'RE NOT GONNA STAND FOR THIS ARE YOU!? SHE CALLED ME AN AIRHEAD!!!' Amber was wailing to Kai.

Kai blinked. 'But you are Amber.' He said with a roguish grin. He turned to us. 'Sorry about that Rider…and Willow, try not get her into too much trouble okay?'

'Don't worry Kai, just cos Trouble's my middle name doesn't mean I always play its game.' I quipped with a grin.

Kai rolled his eyes. 'Laters girls…nice meeting you Rider, I'm sure Cass'll show you around.'

And then he disappeared, leaving a shell-shocked Amber.

'Cass?' Destiny asked.

'Oh, that's my nickname. More people call me that than they do my name.' I said dismissively. 'Anyways, where's your locker?'

'Oh, well, I gotta find it first. Number…56.' She said, consulting a piece of paper.

'Oh great, that's next to mine!' I chirped, leading her through the school to our lockers.

'HEY CASS!'

I turned around to see Johnny running towards me, his arms full of textbooks and notes. He kissed me softly.

'Hey Johnny, this is Destiny Rider, the new girl.'

'Hey Destiny.' Johnny greeted.

'Hi,'

'Lils, where's your sister? Only I just found out they're springing a test on us in Biology today and I'm so not gonna pass without your sister's very useful brain.' Johnny asked hurriedly.

'Oh well, I reckon she's in the library, usually is in the morning…but if she isn't, check our homeroom,' I told him.

'Thanks! See you…and nice meeting you Destiny!' he yelled over his shoulder, already running in the direction of library.

'Nice meeting you too…' Destiny muttered, looking rather surprised at the rapid conversation.

'Sorry about that…Johnny's always forgetting that it's his last year here. You'll meet my sister later…she's my twin, but non-identical, so don't worry about mixing us up. The smart one too!' I said cheerfully.

Destiny laughed.

'Anyway, here's our lockers…oh look, there's Holly…'

Holly was leaning against my locker, talking to Kara and Mariam.

'Holly, Johnny's looking for you! Biology test I think…'

'Oh, curse that idiot!' Holly exclaimed, darting around us and running down the corridor. Then she stopped, doubled back and stuck her hand under Destiny's nose. 'That was so rude of me. New girl right? I'm Holly Tate, Willow's totally different twin.'

Destiny looked surprised for a second, before shaking the hand being offered to her. 'Destiny Rider, and don't worry, I wasn't offended.'

'Good! I like your name by the way. Now excuse me while I save my sister's boyfriend's butt.'

And then she tore off down the corridor.

'AND DON'T FORGET THE SPANISH TEST WE HAVE TODAY LILA!' she called over shoulder.

'Ah…_merde_,' I sighed. 'I'll be okay. I'm almost fluent anyway. Guys, this is Destiny.'

'Hey, I'm Kara Hiwatari.'

'Mariam Kennedy, welcome to Tatisana High!'

'Kara's Kai's little sister Destiny,' I informed her.

'So that's why you look so alike!' Destiny laughed, entering the combination for her locker and stuffing her bag inside, only keeping a few notebooks and her timetable.

'Met my lovely brother already?'

'And his girlfriend.'

'I walked in on them screaming their heads of at each other.' I laughed, 'Anyone who has no problem with screaming at Amber Trendson has great potential in fitting in with our group.'

'No kidding.' Mariam laughed.

'You guys obviously don't like her then,' Destiny observed.

'Are you kidding? Willow walked in two years ago and within two weeks her and Amber were having some serious fights.' Kara smirked.

'So tru- ARGH!' I started to say before I felt masculine arms wrapping around my waist and lifting me off my feet.

'TALA!!'

'Hey to you too,' Tala smirked.

'Finally, someone I already know!' Destiny exclaimed.

'Hey Destiny, already met this lot I see.' Tala smiled.

'Yep. Uhhh…I think you better put Cass down, she looks just about ready to kill you.'

She ain't kidding either.

'She wouldn't dare—OWWW!!!'

'Famous last words Tala.' Destiny laughed, as I landed cat-like onto the floor once Tala had dropped me.

'I reckon you'll fit right in!' I said happily as Tala cursed and hopped on one foot, rubbing his shin.

'I should think so…cos _Kai's hot_!'

'NOT YOU TOO!' Kara wailed.

'Don't worry about her; she's just fed up of half the female population drooling after Kai. In fact, he's the only guy that still affects me…save Johnny of course, but he never used to affect me before we started going out!' I reassured her.

'Johnny was Willow's best friend before they started going out,' Mariam informed Destiny. 'In fact, they were going out for a month before they told anyone…even Holly didn't know!'

'If that doesn't tell you something, nothing does.' Tala chortled.

'Well, Holly would tell Ray and then Ray would tell the boys and then…well, what would be the point of keeping it a secret?' I countered.

'Ray?'

'Oh right, Holly's boyfriend.'

At this point Tala and I shared a significant look.

God forbid what will happen when Ray finds out…in fact, I don't even want to think about it…

'Hey Dest, what classes have you got?'

* * *

Okay, so what d'ya think? Yes...? No...? Dunno...?! Well, tell me, okay!!

Yeah, anyways, thanx to all my faithful reviewers:

Truble  
Beyblade-gal  
Blackdranzergurl  
Spazzy's Girl  
Tikytikytavvi101  
x1nfernal  
Torun  
mego12

So yeah, thanx a huge you guys...and REVIEW PLZ!

OH! Before i forget...READ CARELESS WHISPERS BY **TRUBLE**! Its a fic we wrote together even though ive explained this a million times alreay. But shes really funny so check out her stuff as well!

Ciao

Chiya


	9. Pool Party

Hey dudes, sup? I hope you've enjoyed your xmas and new year, and sorry for not mentioning it before!

Anywayz, I'd just like to say that I've made a mistake in chapter eight: Willow and Holly will be turning seventeen, not eighteen. Sorry for any confusion.

Well, I think thats all for now...ENJOY AND REVIEW!!

* * *

Eye Of The Storm

Chapter Nine: Pool Party

'Willow Tate, would you please pay attention!'

My head snapped up from where it had been peacefully resting on the table to look at Mrs. Harriett, the History teacher.

'Sorry,' I said, rolling my eyes at Destiny, who was sat next to me. She silently giggled in response.

'Anyway, as I was saying before Miss Tate decided to doze off, we will be joining the senior class in a project.'

There were murmurs of interest at that point, and I didn't blame them. Usually in history we just watch boring documentaries about World War One and then write essays or reviews and shit. Majorly boring huh?

'What's the project on?' Destiny asked without bothering for the teacher to continue with a load of waffle.

Mrs Harriett sent a glare at Destiny, but answered anyway. 'It will be based on the Victorian times, and it will lead to the Christmas ball,'

'Huh?' chorused half the class.

'Meaning, the junior and senior history classes will join together to plan and host the Christmas ball, which will be based on Victorian times. Considering you all did the Victorian times last year, there should be no problems. You will put into groups and given a job.' Mrs Harriett sniffed, showing that she thought this was a load of crap.

'Hey, something fun! About time!' I exclaimed loudly, and the class laughed.

'And Victorian times too!' Holly grinned from my other side.

'So…when do we start?' Destiny asked the grey haired teacher.

'Today. Now.'

And right on cue, Mr Connors, who teaches senior history as well as English Lit, walked in with the senior class in tow, including Ray, Kai, Johnny and Ozuma.

'Yo Cassie!!!'

'Hey Lollie!!'

'Hey Rider, Cass hasn't got you into any trouble has she?'

'Settle down now, settle down!!' Harriett called, but with no avail.

'HEY KIDS, COOL IT A SEC!' Connors yelled, and instantly the class fell silent. If looks could kill, Connors would be dead and rotten already, cos Harriett doesn't look too happy with him!

Destiny and I laughed at Harriett's face.

'Okay, as I'm sure Mrs Harriett has explained, we're doing the Christmas Ball under the theme of Victorian times! So, you get into groups of eight and I'll read out the list of jobs and you can chose one!' Connors said brightly.

Instantly groups formed and our lot didn't move. Cos we were already in a group!! Me, Dest, Holly, Kara, Kai, Johnny, Ozzy and Ray. Yey, fun!! Yes, I know I'm being babyish! So sue me!

'Mr McGregor and Miss Tate- uh, that's you Willow- I've got something special saved for you. And…ah! Mr Hiwatari and Miss Rider, the same for you!' Connors called over the movement and general chaos in the class.

We looked at each other, eyebrows raised. What the hell did he want us to do?

Once the two classes had settled down into groups and different people had been assigned different jobs, including our group, which had the job of decorating and providing all the stuff we need for the ball, Connors called us over.

'Right, as far as I know you're all pretty good at acting, correct?' Connors asked as soon as we had arrived.

'Well, Holly and I used to do summer plays in the local theatre…' I said slowly.

'And I took Drama in my old school…' Destiny said.

Kai shrugged, his face emotionless.

'Kai needs to be able to act to get through those boring balls his Gramps is always throwing and not seem bored.' I supplied for him. Kai threw me a disgruntled look.

I smirked in response.

'What about you Johnny?' Connors asked.

'Sure,' Johnny shrugged. 'I can act. No problem.'

'Brilliant! Perfect…now, I needed four people, two girls and two boys, to become gang leaders in criminal London, 1876. The two men are enemies, and of course, they both have their beautiful women,'

At this point he nodded to Destiny and me.

'You mean us, right?' Destiny said in more of a statement than a question.

'Exactly! Reckon you can pull it off? All you need is the clothes, a couple of fake guns, and a little scene in the middle of the ball.'

We looked at each other, before shrugging at the twenty three year old teacher.

'No problemo,'

'Sure thing Mr. Connors, we'll have a nice shoot out in the middle of the ball,' Destiny said with a grin.

'I'm guessing you two will be together?' Connors asked me and Johnny, to which we nodded. 'Good. One of the ladies will have to be of Spanish roots, so I'm sure Willow will be able to do that, being part Spanish anyway. Other than that, you've got a free rein.'

'Okay,'

Well then, a nice little shoot out in the middle of the ball, as Destiny had put it. Should be interesting huh?

* * *

'JOHNNY!!!'

Honestly, is the guy deaf!?

'_JOHNNY!!!_' Kara tried.

The redhead kept on moving towards the car park. Kara and I shared an annoyed and slightly panicked look before running after him.

'Hey, dudes, could you excuse me…there's a deaf guy I need to catch…LOOK, MOVE OKAY!?' Kara yelled at the throng of people blocking the corridor.

Considering they're only freshmen and Kara is a junior screaming her head off at them, they moved pretty quickly. Poor geeks.

We ran towards the door to the car park, where I could see Johnny approaching his car. Why the hell can't he hear us? Or is he ignoring us…no way, why the fuck would he ignore us!?

'JOHNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Kara and I yelled simultaneously as we crashed through the doors. Actually, that hurt…

Owwwwww…

'Oh, hey guys,' Johnny blinked, having finally heard us and turned around.

'OH!? Is that all you have to say!?! I hurt my arm crashing into a stupid door so I could catch up with you!!!' I yelled at him.

'AND ARE YOU DEAF OR SOMETHING!?' Kara screamed, causing everyone within a fifty-mile radius to wince badly. Sometimes I feel really sorry for Kai!!

'No!' Johnny cringed, 'I was listening to Nickelback!!' he said, waving the earphones in front of Kara. 'And sorry about your arm Lils,' he added, leaning down to kiss me.

'Guys, not in front of me please!' Kara groaned.

'Close your eyes then,' I told her with a grin before crushing my lips onto Johnny's.

You know what? My arm doesn't hurt so much anymore…

'Anyway, what did you want?' Johnny asked as soon as we had parted. Kara peered in between her fingers, seeing as she had decided to shield her auburn eyes by covering them.

'Pool party at Ray's, five thirty. We were told to spread the word,' Kara informed him.

'Okay,' he said, leaning to kiss me again. 'I'll pick you up at a quarter past,'

I looked up at him with wide eyes. 'And not before?'

Johnny grinned. Kara groaned again.

'Well, okay, quarter to then,'

'That's better,' I said happily.

'Somebody kill them,' Kara was moaning.

Awwwww!

Johnny rolled his eyes at Kara, before kissing me heartily and getting into his silver Jaguar.

'Is he gone yet?' Kara asked, her hands over her eyes again.

'Yep,' I laughed.

* * *

Ray's pool parties are legendary around here. I mean, the moment you hear that the Kons are holding a pool party, any normal teenager that has a life (no offence to the computer geniuses and bookworms out there) is there complete with a new bikini, unless their a boy of course cos then a boy turning up to the party with a bikini is just WRONG.

'So what's the deal with this party?' Destiny asked, tugging at her black tipped red hair. Us girls had decided to head over to Kara's to get ready for the party, and seeing as this is Dest's first pool party around here we were out to impress.

'Huh?' I replied intelligently.

She pointed to Mariah who was yelling at Kai for walking into Kara's bedroom without asking first, and girl, I'm seeing your point, but anyways…Mariam was backing up Mariah in the whole screaming issue, while trying to apply black eyeliner at the same time. Hence why she started shrieking when she poked herself in the eye. And then there's Kara who was watching the whole scene lazily and then me doing Dest's hair while she watched the whole thing uncertainly.

'What's the big deal with this party?' she repeated.

'Dude, Ray's parties are the thing around here. If there's one, you gotta look your best and be the best, cos everyone will be there.' I smirked, as Holly walked in, took in the scene of Mariam hitting Kai and Mariah screaming, and walked right out again.

'ARGH!! MARIAM IT WASN'T MY FAULT!'

'If you hadn't come here in the first place you wouldn't have a thousand bruises by now!'

'She's got a point Kai,' Kara smirked.

'CASS!'

'What?'

'Help ME!'

'Umm…no?'

Kai groaned and darted away from Mariam's oncoming fist and walked straight out of the room. 'Sometimes I wonder if girls are worth the trouble,' he grumbled as everyone laughed.

'Laters Kai!' I called after him.

I received a string of Russian swearwords.

'Well, that wasn't very nice,' I pouted to nobody in particular.

Destiny giggled.

'Oh my God, guys, did you know Angel Rycroft is dating MICHEAL?' Mariah suddenly squealed about five minutes later.

'REALLY?' Mariam demanded.

'YEAH!'

'Oh yeah, didn't he pick her up from her class and give her a red rose?' I said thoughtfully.

'Oh yeah, I remember that,' Kara said applying lipgloss.

'She didn't deserve it,' Mariah grumbled.

'Mariah has a crush on someone!' sang Destiny.

'No I DON'T!' Mariah instantly denied.

'OH MY GOD! Mariah, you do!' Kara yelled.

'I DO NOT!'

Instantly Mariah was trapped against the wall with Mariam and Kara on either side of her and me standing in front of her with my arms crossed and tapping my foot against the floor like one of those teachers who look like they're about to seduce one of the hot jockeys. Only trust me when I say I won't be seducing any jockeys any time soon!

'Mariah Calyx Low, do you or do you not fancy Michael Liam Parker?' I said in a serious voice.

'NO! Uh…he's kinda cute…well, very cute…great at baseball! And…and, no I don't like him like that, well, a bit then…okay I FANCY HIM!' Mariah wailed, as we all smirked at each other.

'Dude, as long as you don't really fall for him, you'll be fine. When we get to the party you can flirt with any talent there, yeah? It'll make you feel better,' Mariam comforted the pink-haired girl.

'Yeah, I'll even join you,' Destiny quipped.

'Tell you what…flirt with Kai!' I suddenly exclaimed.

'WHAT?' came four voices.

'Well, Kai's gonna get bored if no one flirts with him, and at the same time you'll be getting to Amber.' I grinned with pride at my plan. I'm one of those people who'll be very happy if they come up with good stuff. Something that comes free with being a genius's twin.

'That's…a good idea actually.' Kara blinked at me with surprise.

'You saying that my plans are usually crap!?' I said offended.

'Shut up Cass,'

'Okay,'

* * *

'DUDE, YOU'RE LATE!'

Those were the words that greeted me as soon as Johnny and I stepped into the house. "Dude, you're late". Great, that's all the gratitude I get these days.

'Soz Ray, we were a little…caught up in something,' I smirked.

'Whatever,' he said, shaking his head, 'Get changed and get your asses out there…you two are the only people I can trust around here. If a fight breaks out…'

'Kai and Tala can sort it out.'

'Ahem. Are we talking about Kai Hiwatari and Tala Volkov? Dude, all they would do is get involved.'

'True.' I said after contemplating on what he had said.

'So yeah, MOVE!'

'We're going, we're going!' Johnny laughed. Ray took off towards the kitchen and we headed upstairs to the bedrooms that were serving as the changing rooms.

Fifteen minutes later and about half the school could be found in Ray's back garden. Whoops, did I say back garden? I meant grounds. Huge grounds. With massive pool. Yeah, the Kons are pretty rich.

'WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?'

Y'know the bit where I said I never get gratitude around here anymore? Well, something along those lines anyway. Yeah, I MEANT IT! I swear, even my own sister likes to yell at me, demanding to know where I've been instead of saying, "Hey Lila, that bikini soooo suits you!!" but nooooooo I must be yelled at instead!

'HEY CHILL! God, why does everyone wanna yell at me?!' I groaned, and guess what! Johnny just smirked!! Isn't he supposed to be comforting me or at least telling everyone it stop yelling or something!?

'Sorry, but you said you were gonna be here to keep an eye on everything!' Holly said a little more calmly.

'Dude, Ray's already grilled me, okay? I'm here now, so chill,' I sighed, looking around. Loads of people of where relaxing on sun beds, flirting happily and having water fights on the lawn. Couples were going all mushy with each other, but I guess that was just the ridiculous heat of early November affecting everyone's brains. Not that most of them had even half of a brain in the first place.

Dropping my bag next to an empty sun bed between Destiny and Kai, I settled down in Johnny's arms and began to relax…but of course, SOMEONE just HAS TO START YELLING!

'Now what?' I sighed, sitting up. Holly, who was treading water in front of me, gestured towards the other side of the pool where a couple were screaming at each other.

Great, another lovers' spat.

One of them, I noticed, was Miguel Inoyez, a senior in St Peter's Private School for Boys. Sad huh? It's the posh school of Taniana, one where, apparently, Kai was forced to go. Of course, he just flunked out and made his father send him to Tatisana High. Anyways, the other was a tall girl with waist length jet-black hair with electric blue streaks and cherry coloured eyes. I didn't recognise her, but in way, she seemed distantly familiar.

'What do you want me to do? Its not as if you let me anywhere near you!' Miguel was snarling at the girl.

Whoa, that's harsh dude.

'It doesn't give you permission to snog other girls though! And what about last night huh!?'

Ummm…I think I should step in. Yes I know what your thinking, your thinking this is their problem and don't go getting involved! Well sorry people, but Ray isn't around and I don't want this to turn nasty. And I happen to be in charge around here! So there!

'C'mon Johnny!' I said, jumping up. 'We better sort this out.'

'What? Babe, can't we just stay here and watch—all right, all right!' he sighed, wincing at my narrowed eyes. He got up, and followed me towards the couple, who were now sprouting insults at 110 miles per hour.

'You big headed hypocritical bastard of a cockroaches' cousin!'

'Oh! Look who's talking you insecure jumped up bitch!'

Dude, hers was so much more original.

'Excuse me, you're the one who sleeps with a teddy bear! At EIGHTEEN!'

Oh. My. God.

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, along with half the on-lookers.

Miguel had a complete look of anger, and I knew instantly that there was gonna be some big trouble. I mean, I wouldn't like it if it was revealed that I sleep with a teddy bear, which I don't, to about half of Tatisana High and a quarter of the two other schools in Taniana.

'Guys, I hate to intrude but—HEY!' I started, but neither were listening. Get this: HE JUST SHOVED HER INTO THE POOL!!

'MIRROR!' Ozuma yelled. Mirror? Why is he going on about a mirror!?!

Oh wait…Mirror's is her name! Whoa, weird name. But cool, I guess.

'MIGUEL, YOU ASSHOLE, THAT WAS COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR!' Holly yelled, having joined us.

Miguel whirled on her and snarled something, not sure what, but considering Holly looked upset and _really_ pissed, it wasn't nice.

'Hey, leave my sister alone!' I yelled as Mirror emerged and was pulled out by Ozuma.

That's when a blur whizzed past me and stopped just in front of Miguel, only for him to fall to the ground clutching his bloody nose. And guess what! Mirror had punched him! REALLY hard!

Ray's soooo gonna be pissed when he gets back from the shop.

'THAT'S IT! EVERYBODY STOP!' I screamed over the chaos. Mirror froze in the process of throwing another punch at Miguel, Ozuma just looked at me blankly where he was standing trying to get Mirror away from Miguel, but Johnny kept moving, keeping a hold on Miguel to stop him from doing anything.

'Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Mirror, Miguel, I can safely say you two have split up, end of story. Mirror, please don't punch Miguel again, and yes, I know you're angry. Just wait a sec. Johnny, please escort Miguel to the gates, and Miguel, I never wanna see you again, got it?'

Whoa. When did I become the voice of reason?

Weird.

Johnny dragged Miguel towards the house, while Mirror sighed and washed her bloody fist.

'Hey, I'm Willow Tate,' I said.

'Mirror Chang,' she replied. 'And sorry about that,'

'No worries. Anyways, Ozuma, could I talk to Mi alone?'

Ozuma looked surprised but shrugged and walked off.

'So yeah, how come I haven't seen you around before?'

'Oh, well I'm Ozzy's half sister…unfortunately. But hey, I can deal. I lived in England with my Mum before but we reached some major ditch and I moved here to live with my Dad. Long and complicated, so I won't go into the details.'

'Sheesh, I didn't know Ozzy had a half sister!'

'Not something the two of us broadcast around.' Mirror grinned. 'So you're the girl I've heard so much about huh?'

'Didn't know I was so famous!'

Mirror laughed. 'You'd be surprised. Anyways, I can't wait to get my hands on Miguel later, but I wouldn't wanna ruin the party any more than I have already.'

'Up for some pranking?'

'You offering?' she asked with a raised eyebrow.

'You tell me.' I smirked.

'I'm game.' She said with an evil grin.

* * *

HEY, so what d'ya think? Cool, or deserves to be trashed? Well, tell me what you think!

Mirror Chang belongs to Truble so THANK YOU BIG TIME!!

And someone said to me that the name Destiny Rider sounds familiar; well, me and Truble used it in out fic, Careless Whispers, but technically she belongs to me. Check out out fic, and Truble's Two To Tango!

I think thats it.....

Thanx to everyone who reviewed and keep on reviewing!!

Ciao

Chiya


	10. Destruction Zone

Hey dudes and dudettes and whoeva's out there who's in between!! Okay so I wanna say thanx to the following ppl:

**Blackdranzergurl:** _Yeah I know wot u mean! Truble and I have been close friends since we were...uh....about ten? It kinda helps she's my neighbour too._

**Truble: **_Hey Ti!! Yeah, thanx for Mirror again and everything and...was it really rushed at the end? Okay, it probably was. Thanx dudette!!_

**Beyblade-gal: **_Thank you!! I'd probably neva trash this fic anyway but still, its nice to know!!_

Thanx to everyone else who has reviewed so far!!

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade, only the plot and the characters. Mirror Chang belongs to Truble.

ENJOY AND REVIEW!!

* * *

Eye of the Storm

Chapter Ten: Destruction Zone

"Whoops…sorry…look, how do you expect me not to skate into you if you don't MOVE!!" I heard someone shriek outside. Considering I live in the centre of town, someone screaming is pretty usual, but its worse when some idiot is raving down the street, drunk as a skunk and singing at the top of his voice in the middle of the night, which doesn't happen very often but STILL!

I stuck my head out of the window to see what all the commotion was about.

"Hey Mi!" I laughed, seeing Mirror skidding up the pathway with Kai grumbling something under his breath about reckless show offs.

"Cassie!" she chirped, looking up.

Mirror and I have been hanging out a lot over the last week. We spent most of time devising elaborate all-out pranks for Miguel and Amber, and when we weren't doing that we were hanging out in the skate park or in Ollie's café. Mirror Chang happens to be one of the weirdest, loudest and wackiest girls I have ever met, in a sense she's a bit like me and Destiny, who also happens to be loud and wacky once she gets to know people.

"Dude, sup?" I said as I opened the door, Mirror yanking her roller blades off and Kai heading straight towards the kitchen. I swear, boys will never change. Its all food, girls, cars and money for them!

"Bored. Like, major. D'you know what I mean by major? I'm really talking major here. Boring my own brains to death being at home all day while you lot are in school,"

I laughed. "Dude, you so need a hobby,"

"What's wrong with roller blading!?"

"Hey, you're snapping at the wrong person here! I skateboard remember! No, I meant something that takes ages and doesn't involve you having to get up all the time,"

"Err…I guess," Mirror shrugged, leaping up the steps to my bedroom and greeting Holly, who was doing her HOMEWORK, enthusiastically.

"KAI!"

"What?"

"Is there a particular reason your stuffing yourself from OUR fridge and not your own?!" I sighed, crossing my arms.

"Uh, yeah, Kara wants you, Mi and Dest to meet her in the café,"

"When?"

"About five I think," Kai informed me, bending over to scratch Ruby behind the ears.

"FIVE!?" I shrieked. "Kai, its ten to five and you're telling me now!?!"

Kai backed away from me with his hands raised in a don't-hurt-me gesture.

"Okay, Willow, you have to understand that I was playing Playstation 2 when she told me this, so obviously I forgot and I only just remembered ten minutes ago and then Chang almost ran me over on her skates so then I forgot again and imsosorrypleasedontkillme!!"

Its so funny when Kai is nervous and trying to talk his way out of trouble with me. I swear, it's like a free cinema ticket to the latest American teen comedy.

"Well, I don't know…"

"CASS!!"

I laughed. "Dude, chill out. Why would I kill my best friend?"

"You never know with you," he sighed in relief. I giggled, before realising that we only had five minutes to get to the café.

"MIRROR!!" I yelled, running up the stairs. I found Mi in the middle of trying to peel Holly away from her books (I gave up a long time ago…there is NO point at all. All you do is waste precious time and oxygen).

"What?"

"Kara wants us at Ollie's in five,"

"Oh." Pause. "Okay then, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

I've always wondered what it would be like to pull real pranks, something no one would able to pull off unless they REALLY knew what they were doing, had all the right stuff and the right connections and most importantly, the right people teamed up with you. I mean, sure, I'm great at pranks. I'm always coming up with some wicked stuff that Tala, Kara and I have really pulled strings to get it to work. I've come up with things that have remained imprinted into the minds of teachers and students alike for months.

But sometimes we come with things that would really be straining things, stuff that would take a lot of work and pulling in favours. And quite honestly, some pranks just really weren't worth the work if at any moment the whole thing could collapse.

But then Kara came up with some amazing stuff. I'm talking amazing here. The base of something that would eventually humiliate and destroy the reputations of Amber Trendson and Miguel Inoyez, as well as getting at some other people that have annoyed us a fair bit.

Sounds cool right? Well this was only the base. We were constantly adding ideas. Changing it, messing around with plans and plots, adding backup plans and shit.

One of the many things we going to do was get rid of Angel Rycroft. Remember her? She's the gal Michael's dating. Clear the path for Mariah, so to speak. Another was to get one of Amber's clones, Melody Summers.

Melody Summers is the sole reason Max didn't tell us about dating Kara. To say Melody hurt him is understatement. They dated, he revealed it to the world, she crushed him within 5.7 seconds. To say I was looking forward to dropping a few surprises on her was a MAJOR understatement.

Anyone else? Oh yes. A few. Other than Amber and Miguel, there were a few of Miguel's mates. They're complete assholes, as Mirror and Kara, who has had some experience with them, told us. Oh, and the rest of the Amber wannabes. Of course, there was also Kane. I would never forgive him for teaming up with Amber at the beginning of term.

I suppose you're wondering how we'll manage all this in one big go. Well, we don't.

We start a prank war.

* * *

_PPPHHHHHHESSSssssshhhhhhhhhh…phhsss…_

"Dudes, I think my spray can's run out," Destiny grimaced, shaking the red spray can before rolling her eyes and dropping it into the bag.

"Why don't you put that in the bin?" Kara said, doing the outline of our masterpiece.

"Cos Mrs Jackson might find it and run a fingerprint scan or something," Destiny said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kara, Mika and I raised our eyebrows at each other, before silently returning to our task.

An hour later we stepped back to look at out masterpiece. And I gotta admit, it rocked.

_Amber Kane 4eva_

Okay, so it was petty. But only Amber would scribble that kinda stuff all over the girls' bathroom wall so it would get her into detention, and then the fun would begin from there. Oh yeah, we had a lot of stuff saved for little miss prissy Trendson.

And besides, Kara had somehow bought a bra identical to the one Amber wears, which Kara had seen in the changing rooms after gyms, and had gravely informed me that it was the worst moment of her life, and really I can't blame her. I would've just thrown up.

Anyways, so that silk lace black bra had been thrown over one of the stall doors.

Ewwwwwwwww.

"God, I'm so tired," yawned Mika. She had been included in the whole scheme since she wants to get even with Amber for getting her into the only detention she has ever had in her life. Plus she's a great alibi with the teachers and has a great mind for pranks.

"Same here," Destiny sighed, her violet eyes glazing over slightly.

I looked at my watch. It was three o'clock in the morning.

"Lets go guys," I announced. "We've still gotta go down to Johnny's and give him back his spray cans,"

The others groaned.

"Willow, we're tired-"

"Can't it wait til tomorrow?"

"Cass, its TWO in the morning!!"

"Actually, its three am," I said through a yawn.

"MY POINT EXACTLY!"

"SHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Kara hissed.

We all fell silent, pressing our ears against the door to make sure nobody was coming. Which was really stupid as who in their right mind would be in the school at three on a Friday morning?

Yes, okay, I see your point.

"Well, okay, I'll head over to Johnny's and you guys go home before your parents find out you're not safely tucked up in bed like they thought you were," I sighed in defeat, the things I do for my friends!

"Thanks Cass," they grinned gratefully.

We all trooped out of the bathroom with the bag of cans slung heavily over my shoulder, before creeping down to the basement and through the kitchen door onto the grounds, then skirting around the cameras and over the wall.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," Mika said softly, turning around and heading in the opposite direction of our houses.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Kara asked in concern when we reached the road that led up the hill to Johnny's place.

"Sure thing. See you at school," I said, hugging the two girls, before running up the pavement.

By the time I got to Johnny's, I was exhausted and unable form complete sentences in my head. I was vaguely aware of climbing up the drain pipe to Johnny's window, letting myself in and falling straight onto Johnny's bed before the world turned into the deepest black.

* * *

"Lils…"

I groaned, and rolled over.

"Lila, babe, get up. We gotta go school remember?"

School? SCHOOL BAD!

"Go 'way,"

The voice chuckled, before I felt a large rough hand moving gently up my top. Sweet brief kisses showered my bare skin, and I drew in my breath sharply.

"Johnny…" I whispered, finally opening my eyes as everything returned to me.

"Ah, the lady awakes," the redhead grinned. "Gave me quite a shock when you just tumbled through the window and fainted on my bed,"

"Oh God, sorry," I groaned.

"No biggie. After all, I get to sleep with you and change your clothes." He grinned mischievously.

I looked down and saw that my black cut off jeans and navy blue t-shirt were gone and I was wearing one of Johnny's faded blue t-shirts that reached half way down my thigh.

I smiled at him. "You didn't do anything you weren't meant to do, did you?" I asked with a grin.

"Uh…!"

"HEY! You mean that really wasn't a dream?" I exclaimed.

"Guess not," he said with a mischievous grin.

"You rowdy bastard!" I laughed, hitting him with my pillow.

"HEY!!" he yelped, ducking and yanking the pillow out of my hands.

"HEY!!" I mimicked when I went to hit him again only to realise that he was holding the pillow.

"A bit slow on the uptake huh?" Johnny grinned.

WATCH WHO YOU'RE CALLING SLOW!

"You calling me slow?" I growled.

"I guess I am," he shrugged, his violet eyes dancing in amusement.

At that moment I tackled him, effectively sending us both toppling over the side of the bed. The next thing either of us knew I was on top of him, crushing my lips onto his in a passionate kiss.

I heard him groan, I felt his hands wandering all over my skin, I tasted his strawberry sweet kisses, and I breathed in his lemon fresh aftershave.

"Have you been eating strawberries?" I asked once I had pulled away.

He gave me a confused and frustrated look.

"No…why?"

I smiled. "You taste like strawberries," I said sweetly, as Johnny smiled before pulling me down again.

I felt Johnny's hands running up my t-shirt before pulling away again. He groaned.

"We gotta go school," I said innocently.

"_Willow…_"

"C'mon babe," I said as if I hadn't heard him and jumping up again. As I walked into his walk-in wardrobe looking for the spare uniform I always left here incase I stayed over.

"Oh _shit,"_ I heard Johnny groan quietly. "I need a _cold _shower,"

Pause.

"A _very cold _shower,"

I grinned.

* * *

"Willow Cassandra Lillian Tate, you are so freakin' dead!" Holly yelled the moment Johnny pulled up on the motorbike and helped me off.

"Uhh…!" I said intelligently, looking for some route of escape. I settled for hiding behind Johnny as he looked at me amusedly, as if to say _Ha! Serves you right!_

"Oh, reduced to hiding are we?" Holly snapped, darting around my boyfriend and grabbing my arm.

"Holly, I'm really really sorry, and I know I should've called you or something only I fainted the moment I reached Johnny's and I didn't wake up until this morning and I'm really really sorry and I love you sis, did you know that?" I rambled as Holly glared at me but her gaze softened sometime around the point I had mentioned fainting, and she stopped glaring altogether when I said I loved her.

THANK YOU BRAIN!

"WHAT D'YOU MEAN YOU FAINTED??" she shrieked.

Okay, maybe I'm not off the hook yet.

Damn.

"Well, it was three in the morning so I was dead tired and then I ran all the way up the hill to Johnny's and I only just managed to climb through his window before I fainted! I didn't even get to see Johnny!!"

"D'you mind not talking about me as if I'm not here?" said the boy in question, looking bored.

I glared at him.

He raised his eyebrows.

I scowled.

What is the point?

"Well, okay, I guess. So why didn't McGregor call me huh?" Holly said, rounding on Johnny. It only took me a split-second to realise she had just used his surname, which wasn't something that occurred very often unless she was really pissed.

"Huh?" Johnny yelped, looking alarmed.

If there's one thing scarier than Kara angry, then its my sister angry. It makes it even worse because Holly doesn't often get mad and when she does, she lets all her frustration and anger pour out.

"Why. Didn't. Lover. Boy. Call. Me. Last. Night?" Holly said through gritted teeth, jabbing Johnny's chest with each word.

"Holly, don't blame him." I said, jumping in. "Really, you know I'm safe now and guess what, I didn't even shag him this morning just so I could come in on time and see you in homeroom so be grateful Lolita and lets go and leave this idiot to realise he has a French exam first thing after homeroom," I said cheerfully as I hooked my arm through Holly's and dragged her away without a second look back. Holly was giggling hysterically as my words sunk in.

"WHAT FRENCH EXAM!?" I heard Johnny erupt about two seconds later.

We burst out laughing.

* * *

"Mrs Jackson, Mrs Jackson!!" shrieked Destiny, darting in between the crowds with me only a few paces away.

Our tall, frumpy skinny Headmistress whirled around so abruptly that Dessy nearly crashed into her.

"Yes Miss Rider?" she said impatiently, as Dest tried to catch her breath.

I made a big deal of opening Holly's locker, which thank the lord was in that corridor, and rummaged through it as if looking for something; perfect cover for keeping an eye on the second stage of Destruction, the name Mi had come up with for the whole prank war.

Weird girl.

"Girls…toilets…vandalism…must…see…" Destiny panted, and within seconds Jackal was shooting down the corridor to the girls' toilets. Destiny made a big show of grabbing me and dragging me along.

"WHAT are you doing Destiny!?" I yelled as she dragged me, none too kindly.

Remind me to tell her to be more gentle next time.

And, not for the first time, THANK GOD I CAN ACT!

"Come ON!" she yelled back as people turned to watch. Some even followed us, which was exactly what we wanted.

We crashed through the girls' toilets door and all the girls following us walked straight in after us. And there, on the wall and perfect like we had left it, were those words, _Amber Kane 4eva_, and right in front of it was Jackal, holding the bra and staring at the two offences in complete disgust.

"Tate…did you have anything to do with this?" Jackal said, turning slowly to me.

I pretended to look bewildered and surprised. "Me? Honestly, while I might _dislike_ Amber, she's still my best friend's girlfriend and I certainly don't want to see him hurt,"

It seemed to work, barely. She looked long and hard at me, the trademark glint of hate burning bright in her dull hazel eyes, but I see that every time she looks at me, so its no difference to me. Finally she turned away and looked at Melody Summers, who stood staring at the graffiti with a look of complete surprise.

"Miss Summers, please find Miss Trendson and escort her to my office and tell her to wait for me," Jackal demanded, and Summers squeaked and ran out.

_Whoa, rewind!! Squeaked? Jeez, how lame can you get?_

As soon as Jackal was gone and we were heading towards the playground to enjoy break, I turned and grinned at Destiny.

"Destruction Stage Three commences."

Destiny grinned back before whirling on her heel and running back inside to spread the news.

I smiled to myself, and headed over to the group of boys, smirking all the way.

"What are _you_ smirking at?" Michael demanded.

"Nothing," I said airily. "I've just got something I've wanted for ages, that's all,"

The boys raised their eyebrows at each other.

"Oh, and Kai? I'm really sorry about her, but really, it was time you moved on," I said cryptically.

"What?"

I walked away, content on finding Johnny and getting a quick snog while I was practically floating in a bubble of happiness.

"You'll find out,"

* * *

Okay so what d'ya think? You may have noticed that I've changed the speechmarks from single to double....blame Truble. While we were writing Careless Whispers (CHECK IT OUT!!) she made me write using double speech marks and now its stuck. So yeah, thanx a bunch Ti! Humph.

She's gonna get a laugh outta that.

Anyways, once again thanx to everyone who reviewed, and keep on reviewing!!

Ciao

Chiya


	11. But Mommy, I LOVE HIM!

Heya ppl I'm gladyou enjoyed the last chapter but unfotunetly I'm a veryDRAMATIC person and I can never help adding a lil drama so plz excuse me forthis chappie!! Its not my greatest andI don't really like it that much...so tell me what you think yeah?

Disclaimer:Nothing but the characters and the plot and...well, thats it, belongs to me.Okay?

ENJOY AND REVIEW!

* * *

Eye of the Storm

Chapter Eleven: But Mommy, I LOVE HIM!!!

"Cass!!" Kara yelled, grabbing my arm and oh-so-casually leading me away from Kai and the boys, only five minutes after the bell had rung, signifying that lunch had started. And thank God too; I don't think I can stand another lecture on the black widow spider and its mating habits!!

I never mentioned that I hadn't let the boys in on the whole prank war thing, had I? Well, only Johnny knows and that's cos he has the right ammo and shit. Oh, and the fact I couldn't keep a single secret from him if my life was worth it. Save the whole Holly and Tala thing. And the fact I'm in love with him. But there is NO way in hell I'm telling him THAT!

"I was just about to have my lunch!" I complained as we had reached the safety of our huge oak tree in the corner of the school grounds.

"Lunch? Of what? Lover boy?" Kara smirked.

I sniffed. "Yeah," I admitted.

She laughed, shaking her head. "You got it bad Tate,"

"Thank you." I deadpanned.

"Anyways, Destruction Stage Three was a success," Kara informed me in her best military voice.

She should become an actress.

"Brilliant," I grinned. "What's the verdict?"

"Fashion Disaster has two weeks detention starting from tonight," Kara smirked, looking very proud of herself.

"Fashion Disaster?" I said incredulously.

The blunette shrugged. "Destiny decided to give one of our prime targets a codename,"

"Destiny is mad." I stated. "And that's wicked,"

Kara laughed.

"So, Destruction Stage Four will commence tonight." I said, raising an eyebrow at Kara.

"Yep. And the final stage will be…next Friday right?"

"Perfect. Right on my birthday,"

This is going to be so much fun!

"Willow?"

"Yeah?"

Her voice was serious now.

"Can you tell Max to meet me after school in Oliver's café?"

That question surprised me so much I almost jumped straight out of my skin. I stared at her with wide eyes.

"Umm…yeah,"

"Thanks," and with that she walked off as if she couldn't wait to get outta there.

"Kara!" I called after her.

She slowed to a stop, but didn't look back.

"Don't hurt him Kara. Please,"

She slowly nodded and ran off.

If only I had known then what was going on. Instead of way in the future from where I'm telling whoever you are my story, where it's too late to do anything.

* * *

"Kai?"

He kept on walking. Away from me.

And I was having such a nice day until lunch! Oh no, wait, I mean, til just after break. Double Biology just nearly killed me.

"Kai!!"

Finally he stopped. But he wasn't looking at me. And his face was blank and cut off, like it was with everyone he didn't know.

"You did it," he stated. It took me two seconds what he was on about.

"The shit has hit the fan," I heard Destiny whisper to Mariam. I couldn't turn to glare at them, I was too caught up with the fact Kai was very very angry with me.

"Honestly? Yeah, I did,"

"You never struck me as the jealous type Tate,"

JEALOUS!?

"Now wait a sec mister, I had nothing to be jealous about! If you had never stayed with the bimbo in the first place we wouldn't be having this conversation!" I exploded.

"Don't call her a bimbo Willow," Kai said flatly.

And then he looked at me properly. His normally gorgeous and playful auburn eyes were hard and showed no emotion. His lips were set in a grim line and the Kai I had always known was gone and buried.

Do the words oh shit spring to mind here? Cos I really don't like this. I mean, I knew that Kai wouldn't like the fact I had basically torn him and Fashion Disaster (Great. Destiny has brainwashed me) apart, but really, does he have to be as cold as he usually is to someone like Miguel Inoyez?

"Kai!" I groaned. "Okay, I'm sorry. But the words 'revenge is sweet' kinda sprung to mind when I did that!"

"Never occurred to that you had no right to do that without asking me first?" he said coolly, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, it did occur to me but I thought you'd be glad to be rid of her!" I exclaimed, unnerved by his coldness.

I was faintly aware of everyone gathering to watch.

"Maybe, maybe not," he shrugged.

Okaaaaaay…

"Kai, don't turn all cryptic on me!" I groaned.

He stayed silent.

"Okay if you're so pissed at me then do something! Hit me for all I care!" I wailed, starting to lose all my patience.

"I don't hit girls Willow," he said quietly. "But there's always telling Johnny the truth…"

Noooo. No freaking way. Why was Kai doing this to me?

"You wouldn't dare!" I hissed at him.

He gave me a look that quite clearly said that he could and would.

"Oh no, Willow," he smirked. Finally, some emotion! "Of course I wouldn't tell Johnny you're in love with him,"

Okay, what was the point—

"WHAT?!"

"Bye Cass. See you in History," he smirked walking away. I stood gaping after him before anger began to swirl in my veins.

Cos Kai had just announced to the whole crowd standing around us. Which included Melody Summers, gossip extraordinaire, and Destiny, Mariah and Mariam.

Basically there wasn't a chance in hell that Johnny wasn't going to find out.

* * *

Why have I never noticed how great the library is? It's the best place to hide in, all full of books and shelves that create a nice big maze to lose yourself in. No wonder Holly loves it so much. It's a freaking haven.

"Willow?"

Speaking of my lovely sister…

"Hey Holly," I greeted.

"What're you doing here?" the brunette asked.

"Just researching Victorian times and how enemies would go about killing each other," I said in a false bright voice.

"And hiding from Johnny,"

My shoulders slumped. Holly knows me waaaaay too well.

"Heard huh?" I grumbled.

"Me and half the school," Holly sighed.

"And…?"

"I saw Destiny arguing with him. He's looking for you," Holly informed me.

"Why would Dest be arguing with him?" I asked curiously.

"To give you time," she said, "I'm under Kara's strict instructions to find you before Johnny does,"

"God, you'd think Johnny's an assassin and I'm his target!" I laughed sarcastically.

"Lila, stop it," Holly sighed. "I'm getting you out of here, whether you like or not,"

"No." I said stubbornly. "You think I'm gonna run away Holly? Think again. I'll have to face him some time and it might as well be today and now,"

Who am I kidding?

Kai hates me and Johnny's probably gonna dump me. This day was going soooo well too.

"Cass!" someone exclaimed and there was a thump. We looked curiously around the shelf, me hoping to God it wasn't Johnny, when I saw Fred Lewis sprawled out on the floor, having obviously fallen over a chair, with his completely identical twin brother Nick laughing his head off at him.

"Well, what d'ya know, the Lewis brothers are back," I grinned.

"Hey Cass," they greeted simultaneously.

Frederick and Nicholas Lewis are redheaded identical twins that have a knack for trouble and more detentions recorded in their file than half the year put together. That's how we met; in detention of all places. I was there cos I had punched Kane (again) and they were there for blowing up the chemistry lab. Literally! Anyways we got on well and often joined teams to pull pranks, but the last couple of months they've been away with their parents travelling Europe, lucky bastards.

"So, how was Europe?" I asked as Holly grumbled impatiently. I pointedly ignored her.

"Brilliant," grinned Fred as I pulled him up.

"Wicked," Nick said at the same time.

"But enough about us," Fred continued. "We are here to ask you something,"

"Yeah, what's this I hear about you dating Johnny huh?" Nick asked playfully, casually wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Uh…you mean the relationship that's gonna end as soon as he finds me?"

"Yeah, that one,"

"No, not that one!" Nick exclaimed, glaring at his brother. "Johnny would extremely stupid to dump someone like Cass just cos Kai went off his rocker and declared that she was in love with her boyfriend,"

I smiled at Nick's protectiveness.

"Oh yeah, sorry Cass,"

"No probs Freddie," I grinned as he narrowed his blue eyes at the nickname.

"Okay, hate to cut this LOVELY reunion but I really have to get Willow outta here," Holly suddenly cut in, grabbing my arm.

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere!" I said, wrenching my arm out of her grip and hiding behind Nick.

God did I just say that?

I want to go!! I DO!

Damn I'm soooo stupid.

"Willow…!"

"No!"

YES!!

"Don't make me get Kara!" she threatened.

"Go ahead!"

Please don't!!

"I'm warning you, Willow, if you don't go now before Johnny finds you and Kara can fix this whole mess then you'll be left to face the consequences!"

"Damnit I don't care. This is my problem not theirs!"

I do care!! Can't you just drag me out, cos my body doesn't seem to be following my brain!!

"Fine! I'll leave you with these two idiots until he finds you!" she yelled, waving her hands about as if completely pissed off and stalking off.

"Idiots?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Harsh," Fred commented.

"Sorry," I sighed.

"No problemo _querida_!" chorused the two boys. I never did mention that they're half Spanish, did I?

Hmm…half Spanish and half Irish, living in Japan. Does that strike you as weird?

"Sooo…tell us what you've been up to other than falling in love," Fred said, sitting down at one of the desks. I sat down opposite him with Nick at my side.

"Weird. I'd never thought I'd see the day Willow Tate would fall in love," Nick grinned.

"And with Johnny," Fred added.

"Always thought-"

"-you'd end up-"

"-with Kai,"

"I did mention how much you guys freak me out, right?" I grinned.

"Not since you saw us off in the airport," they said together.

I never get how they do that!

"You freak me out," I stated.

"Of course. We wouldn't be us if we didn't freak you out," Fred laughed.

"I missed you guys," I laughed.

"We missed you too Willow," they chorused.

I really do love these guys. Why couldn't I have fallen in love with Nick? Or Fred? Life would be so much easier! But nooooooo I go fall for my best friend! Uh! Why me?!

"Hey Willow," Fred suddenly turned serious which I was sure wasn't programmed into his brain. Hence why I was getting a little scared. "What would you do if Johnny walked through the door right now?"

"Um…I dunno,"

"I think you should turn around,"

I did.

And there was the Scottish redhead I had been hiding from walking through the desks straight towards me.

Nick grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. I smiled softly at the pair of pranksters.

"See you guys," I said as Johnny finally reached us.

"Bye Willow," they said, as I silently followed my soon to be ex-boyfriend out of the library.

* * *

I knew I loved noise for a reason. I knew it.

Cos right now? Yeah, there's only silence.

Somebody kill me!!!

I sulkily kicked some leaves, and they were caught in the breeze, swirling around us.

Us. Me and Johnny. Johnny and me. Only he hasn't said one word yet, instead just leading me through the park. In short? We're bunking.

God this sucks.

Someone out there must really hate me. That, or I've done something really shitty in my past life.

IF I had a past life that is. Cos who knows what happens when you die. Oh great I'm becoming all philosophical! TALK DAMNIT JOHNNY!!

But he didn't. He was still as quiet as the grave, though gods forbid if he WAS a grave. I'd be in love with a ghost!! Uh, I think I'm going mad.

WHERE ARE WE GOING ANYWAY?!?

And then I knew. Well it was pretty obvious, since we had just arrived. It was the big cherry oak tree that we had dubbed as ours. Whenever we come to the park we always come to this tree, Cherry as I have always called it, because its branches were abnormally low and provided some shelter and privacy. That and the fact I love this freaking tree so much sometimes I'd just go up to it and hug it before sitting down with the others. Tree hugger much?

Johnny flopped down beneath it and when he saw me hesitate he reached up and pulled me down very gently.

There was about five minutes of complete silence (again!!) while we just sat with our backs against Cherry.

"Its true isn't it?"

WHAT? God, don't scare me like that!

What was he on about again? Oh yeah…

"Yeah," I said softly. Well, there's no point denying it is there? I basically hid in the library (the LIBRARY!) from him and if that doesn't say 'I love you' anymore than the actually words then I don't know what does.

Trust me, before today I've only been in the library once or twice and that was to drag Holly outta there.

Johnny was silent for a second. Well, it seemed like an hour but my watch told me it was second.

"I won't say that I love you too cos that would be lying," Johnny sighed, finally looking at me. I avoided looking into his eye cos those violet orbs are capable of unlocking things I never knew were there.

"But I don't want to go back to being just best friends either,"

Huh?

"Willow look at me," Johnny demanded softly. Well, what was I suppose to do? I looked.

And bloody hell, I nearly died.

Okay that's being really dramatic isn't it? But honestly, I felt like crying.

I told you he unlocks emotions that I never knew were there!!

"Lily…" Oh god. He only calls me that when he's being deadly serious…or well, he usually says it in the middle of sex, wait, I did not say that!! Jesus Christ I'm screwed. "Look, I might not love you today or tomorrow but maybe in a few months I will. I know that I don't want to be just best friends, because leaving you and everything we have right now would be suicide."

I looked at him hopefully. "You saying that we could still make it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from breaking. And I wasn't doing a great job of it either.

He pulled me into a hug, kissing my hair. "I'd never leave you for anything," he whispered.

Riiiiight about then I burst into tears.

"We'll be okay, I swear it," Johnny muttered, hugging me even closer to him while I cried into his chest.

And you know what?

I believed him.

* * *

Okay I SWEAR I'm going back to prank war after this. Things are gonna get a little messy aroung here, but all I'm saying is that Amber sure doesn't like being set up...

So yeah, moving away from that...do any of you recognise where I got the characters Fred and Nick Lewis from? Well, they ARE my creation but very inflicted by a pair of fictional redheaded twins...anyone know who they are? I'll update real quick if you can tell me!

Anyways, thanx to everyone who reviewed!!

Ciao

Chiya


	12. Suprises

Hey guys, well I thought I'd update quickly for once and considering I've only JUST finished this chapter, u can be grateful! So yeah, dudes, I guess we'll get on with the chappie den...

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade only the charaters and the plot, and Mirror Cchang belongs to Truble.

ENJOY!

* * *

Eye of the Storm

Chapter Twelve: Surprises

I hate crying. I really do. It makes your eyes all puffy and your mascara run down your cheeks and people start acting like you're made out of glass.

In short? It sucks.

Damn I hate pity. I hate the fact everyone's staring at me. I'm in Maths now, Holly keeps trying to get my attention, Destiny and Kara keep sending notes that I've been ignoring for ages and Enrique keeps glancing at me all uncertainly and damnit JUST STOP!

History's next. I'll have to see Kai and Johnny and I have no idea how I'm gonna cope, especially since everyone's staring at me. I don't think it helps that its quite clear I've been crying and I staggered into Maths about fifteen before the end of the lesson, but I think I'll just take everything one step at a time.

The bell went.

"Willow!!" yelled several voices.

But I was already out the door.

Damn I'm fast.

I was the first to get to History and Mr Connors was already there, scribbling something on the whiteboard.

"Hey Tate," he greeted, putting down the pen, "You got here quick,"

"Its called getting away from prying idiots Connors," I replied as I dropped into my regular seat.

"That's _Mister_ Connors to you Tate," he smirked.

"That's _Miss_ Tate to you," I grinned.

He raised an eyebrow, before shaking his head and muttering something that included the word 'teenagers'. What's with people and stereotyping? Dude, it ain't nice.

"Sir, do I have to do this stupid play thing?" I whined two seconds later.

"Willow, stop whining for the hell of it since both of us know you're gonna enjoy your 'stupid play thing'," Connors smirked.

"Evil teachers," I breathed.

"Heard that,"

"You were meant to!"

"Uh huh, sure Willow," Connors said, as the door opened and people began to pile in.

"Hey Mr Connors," they greeted, before spotting me slumped in my chair and…well, what d'ya think they did then? Yup, right in one: stare.

Bastards, can't you leave me alone?!?

I thrust my fist into the air as everyone began to sit down around me, all of them making a big deal outta sorting themselves out.

They seriously can't act.

"Yes Willow?"

"Sir, where's Mrs Harriett?" I asked as Ozuma finally made an entrance.

"She's ill, Miss Tate, and please refrain from doing your victory dance you're so well known for doing when particular teachers are ill," he warned, although he did so with a slight smile.

Johnny walked through door. Everyone instantly stopped and watched, but I made a big deal of being NORMAL.

"Just to let you know sir -hey Johnny- I would never do a victory dance if YOU were ill,"

"Thank you Willow," Connors smiled as everyone gaped. Well, seeing as Johnny had just sat down next to me as if nothing was wrong and add that to my casual greeting, they would have a reason to gape.

Doesn't give them permission though.

"Hey- what are you looking at?!" I snapped at the rest of the class. They immediately looked away.

Yeah, I rock!

"Right class, you know what to do!" Connors announced and everyone began talking at once.

"Huh, anyways…where's Hiwatari?" I asked our group, noting the missing asshole.

Uhhh…the only asshole in our group actually.

"At the nurse," Ozuma grunted, and only then did I notice the cut above his eyebrow.

"Why- Oz what happened to you?" I demanded.

"He stopped me from putting shark boy into hospital," I heard someone growl. Whirling around, I came face to face with a badly bruised Fred and an extremely pissed off Nick.

"What happened?" Johnny demanded as I let out a horrified shriek and flung my arms around Fred.

"Fight," Nick managed to grit out.

"Obviously," I remarked, pulling away from Fred.

Finally, the girls piped up.

"When Fred and Nick heard-"

"Fred lost it-"

"-scary-"

"-just hit him!"

"Nick tried to stop it-"

"Oz broke them apart-"

"Kai said something-"

"-Mirror-"

"Oz-"

"-really mad-"

"-SCARY!!"

"GUYS CHILL!!" I yelled after losing the thread of speech for the third time. They fell silent before Holly hesitantly started again.

"When the twins found out what Kai had said, Fred got mad and went after Kai with half the school trailing after them, Nick tried to stop him but you know what Fred's like, and then there was this huge fight and Ozuma broke it up but Kai said something to do with Mirror, not sure what, and then HE punched Kai and then there was another big fight and FINALLY Nick stopped it along with half the teachers in this school and…" my sister finally took a breath, "Well, Kai looked as if he had a bad run in with a lamp post," she finished, although she seemed mildly pleased about Hiwatari being beaten up by my friends.

Which is WAAAAY weird.

"So whats the verdict?" I finally asked.

"Two weeks detention for me and Oz, one week for shark boy and only one detention for Nick," Fred grumbled.

"Hiwatari got less detentions than you!?" Johnny exploded.

"What d'ya mean Nick got a detention?!" I yelled at the same time.

"KIDS!" Connors yelled, "Voices down dudes!"

"Sorry Sir," Kara said quickly.

"I don't believe it," I growled, purposely lowering my voice.

"I know," Ray said in a tired voice.

"You got into a fight with Hiwatari…for me?" I asked Fred incredulously.

"Well, duh," Nick snorted, "No one lands a blow on you without us having to say something about it,"

I really love these guys.

And I told them so.

"Um," Fred blushed. Thanks to his red hair, both him and his brother are prone to blushing. It's quite cute actually. "We love you too Willow,"

"Shame I didn't see him myself," Johnny grumbled, "Would've given him a black eye to match his black heart,"

The others looked at each other in surprise at his harsh words.

"Babe, don't let him get to you," I cajoled.

Holly snorted. "I bet you $20 that tonight you're gonna meet up with Mi, Dessy, Tala, Fred and Nick tonight and do some heavy duty prank planning,"

"Guilty as charged," I grinned.

"Don't I get a say in it?" Johnny pouted.

"Nope,"

"Aww, crud,"

The others eyed our light flirting warily. "You guys okay now?" Kara asked.

We looked at each other.

"We will be," I smiled.

* * *

"NO WAY! Chester is soooo much cuter!!" Mirror yelled.

"NUH UH!! Mike is the man girl, it doesn't take rocket science to figure that out!!" Destiny retorted.

"Willow, what d'you think?" both said, whirling on me.

What?! Oh hell no, I ain't getting involved!!

"No lying," Mirror warned.

"Um…" Oh God, please don't kill me!! PLEASE! "Well, they're both good looking…"

"CASS!!"

"Okay okay!" I cringed. "Mike is definitely hot,"

"HA!" Destiny yelled triumphantly.

"But Chester's hotter," I added.

Ohh I think I just signed my death warrant. Crap.

Mike or Chester? Chester or Mike? Hmmm…they're both scrummy. But I love Linkin Park's music more than I love the actual people playing it.

"Take that buster!" Mirror grinned manically. She can really scare me sometimes…

"Uh, guys, do you really have to scrutinise every detail of Mike and Chester or we actually gonna get down to work?" Nick called over from where he was sprawled over the sofa.

We're actually in the twins' basement, which serves as their personal living room in a way. We used to always come here, mess about on the PlayStation 2 and stuff ourselves silly with popcorn and crisps and even get drunk. It was the best.

Despite what I had said before, Johnny was here too, along with Tala and Ozuma and Enrique, who absolutely refused to stay away.

"Okay, lets do this," I said, pushing Nick's feet aside and flopping onto the sofa next to my boyfriend.

I watched as Mirror curled up on the sofa beside Tala, and Destiny sat on top of Fred's feet, before he grumbled and withdrew them so that she could sit properly, while sporting a smirk.

"Soooo…any ideas?" Nick asked slowly as Johnny wound an arm around my waist.

Immediately everyone began talking.

"Whoa, stop!" Fred yelped.

Silence.

"Okay, one at a time,"

"Well, for starters, has anyone got any dirt on Hiwatari?" Mirror asked.

We all looked at each other.

"Did someone mention the words 'Hiwatari' and 'dirt' in the same sentence? Cos then I might be some help," someone said from behind me.

WHAT THE HECK!?!

"HOLLY!?!"

"Hiya sis," Holly grinned, sitting down on Tala's other side.

"What are YOU doing here?" I asked incredulously.

Holly never EVER gets involved in these pranking scheme things. I swear it. WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE THEN?!

"Offering some intelligent advice to you lower beings," she smirked, leaning back casually.

"Advice…lower…? Hey, that was an insult!" Mirror suddenly exclaimed.

"Welcome to the twenty-first century Mi," Holly grinned.

"Yeah, Mi, if you were any slower you'd be going backwards," Dest added, earning a glare from the cherry eyed girl.

"ANYWAYS!" I interrupted, "What 'intelligent' advice oh dear angelic sister of mine do you have to offer?"

"I have strictly confidential information that you may find useful," Holly said in way that quite clearly said that she was in charge around here.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done to my sister?" I demanded.

"My name is Holly and I AM your sister," she replied calmly.

"My sister does not come and offer strictly confidential to a room full of pranksters, and if she did she would not sit there and taunt us with it," I stated, completely perplexed.

"Babe?" Johnny said.

"Yeah?"

"Holly's grown up," he stated.

"Huh?" was my intelligent response.

Really, what kind of nonsense is that?

"Holly's grown up," the redhead repeated.

"Makes sense," Tala mused, sending Holly a look that quite clearly said, 'they've only just figured it out?' and smirking.

"Dudes, I'm still lost," I said, looking wide-eyed at my sister then Tala then my boyfriend.

"Remember how shy and withdrawn she was?" Johnny asked, in more of a rhetorical sense, "Well, she's just come out of her shell. She doesn't need you to always jump to her protection now,"

"Huh?" I repeated, but this time hysterically. "That's not meant to happen!"

"Do you mind not speaking about me as if I'm not here?" Holly asked lightly.

"Does make sense," Enrique said, looking over at Holly.

"I never noticed any difference until…" I trailed off when I realised something. "This is your fault!!" I exclaimed, whirling on Tala.

"Huh?"

Finally, someone other than me is saying that!

"If-if-" Hang on a sec, how am I supposed to say this without revealing that Holly's cheating on Ray? Holy shit, I haven't thought about that in ages actually!! "If Holly hadn't started tutoring you in French then she wouldn't have spent so much time with you and wouldn't have gotten corrupted!!"

"When did Holly start tutoring Tala?" Fred asked curiously.

"A couple of months ago," Holly dismissed.

Oh great, she's DISMISSING things now!!

"Yeah, and that's when you became more outgoing!! WHY didn't I notice before!?" I yelled at my self, slapping my forehead with my hand.

Okay, so I'm being overly dramatic, but dudes, really, how would you feel if your innocent sister you've taken care of all your life doesn't need you any more?

Trust me, it sucks major.

"SHALL WE MOVE ON?!" Nick suddenly yelled. In total surprise everyone fell silent and I slumped in my seat.

"Besides, not as if we weren't expecting it," Fred said smoothly.

"Yeah, about time she realised she's sex on legs," Nick smirked.

Holly flushed in embarrassment and I smirked as several people yelled "HEY!" as an automatic reaction.

"Wow, I learn fast," I remarked. "I was the only person who didn't yell that was meant to,"

"Nice to know you care," Holly laughed.

She had changed. Wow.

"Now that we've got the fact that Holly is in fact sex on legs down, shall we get on with it?" Mirror asked sweetly.

"Yeah, please," Ozuma sighed, looking bored.

"Okay Lollie, spill," Dest demanded.

"Oh you'll never guess what he told me a few days ago," Holly said sweetly, looking all innocent. I didn't buy it for one second.

"Go ahead and tell us then," Enrique grumbled.

"Oh, nothing much really, just that he has the BIGGEST crush on Mi here,"

"What?" Destiny blinked.

"REALLY?!" Mirror squealed in delight.

"You're kidding?!" I said incredulously.

"All true babes," Holly grinned.

"Interesting," Tala remarked.

"Very," the twins agreed.

"He has a crush on my…MY sister?!" Ozuma spat.

"Half sister," Mirror immediately corrected.

"This is gonna help," Johnny mused.

"Are you kidding?! Dude, this is gonna be sooo much fun!! Its like having a voodoo doll…only for emotions!!" Mirror squealed happily, jumping up and down. She gets really hyper sometimes!!

"Kai's a player…" I said slowly.

"…and he's gonna find out what its like to get played," Mirror smirked.

Oh yeah, this is definitely gonna be fun.

* * *

Awww poor Kai! Well serves him right for being mean to Willow!! Anyways, I hope this is a refreshing change to the last chapter, although I am quite glad to see Holly all grown up.I mean, seriously, one person can only stay innocent for so long in Tala's company! Look what happened to Willow! Lol, anyway, tell me what you think yeah?

Thanx to everyone who reviewed and please keep reviewing!!

Ciao dudes

Chiya


	13. Oh No, NOT YOU!

HEY GUYS! Okay I AM REALLY SORRY that its taken ages for me to update, but I suffered from some seriously bad writers block and I ain't kidding. I was just two pages into the chapter whenI slammed into a brick wall at fifty mph (not literally!)

Anyways, I'm not so sure about this chappie sinceI practically forced myself to write itso tell me what you think okay?

Disclaimer: I DO NOTOWN BEYBLADE ONLYMY OWN CHARACTERS AND MIRROR CHANG BELONGS TO TRUBLE. Okay?

Enjoy and review!

* * *

Eye of the Storm

Chapter Thirteen: Oh no, NOT YOU!

"I'M IN!" I heard someone shriek. I rolled over in my bed, but well, I haven't been receiving the best luck lately so its no wonder I tumbled straight off the bed and landed with a painful thump on the floor.

"Who's in?" I grumbled into the duvet wrapped around me.

"MEEEEEE!" someone squealed above me, and I vaguely recognised the voice as Mirror's.

And trust me, that's a major accomplishment for when I'm half asleep, wrapped up in my duvet and sprawled across the floor. You seeing my point here?

"GET UP CASS!" she screeched, yanking on my duvet.

"OWW! Alright, jeez, Mi!" I yelped as cold air hit my skin.

She looked at me with a smirk and raised eyebrow. "Do you always sleep in an oversized t-shirt and Tweety boxers?" she asked.

"Uh…yeah," I replied, heaving myself to my feet. The Tweety boxers I had bought for Max as a joke and he had told me I could keep them. I'm rather fond of them actually…

"What are you doing here anyway?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes.

Suddenly she was back to hyper mode. She jumped up and down, squealing again.

"I'VE GOT A PLACE AT YOUR SCHOOL!" she screamed.

I blinked.

I blinked again.

And again—oh okay, I'll get on with it shall I?

"REALLY!" I screamed back.

Mirror's been trying to get a place in Tatisana High ever since she got here and there hasn't been much luck seeing as Mrs Jackson is reluctant to let her in, due to the fact she was expelled from her old school for blowing up the gym.

Does that sound like Buffy to you? I hope she doesn't chase vampires in the middle of the night, but knowing Mi, she probably does on the off chance she might meet Angel.

That sounds like fun actually.

"YEAH!" Mi grinned, waving about a letter. I grabbed it and skimmed through it.

"WICKED!"

* * *

"Tell me again…why are we in the mall on a perfectly nice Saturday morning?" I groaned.

"You call cold nice?" Kara raised an eyebrow.

"Its not that cold, you should try being in New York for winter!" I protested.

"We're not in New York though so its completely irrelevant," Mirror chirped.

We stared at her in shock.

"Did you just use the word irrelevant!" Destiny gasped in mock shock.

"Yeah…" she replied, looking at us as if we're mad. Which, by the way, we're not.

Okay, maybe a little bit.

Oh, who am I kidding? WE'RE MAD AND PROUD OF IT!

Ahem.

"Wow, Mi is actually growing a brain! Maybe you lot will get the hint and do the same!" Holly grinned.

Pause.

"HEY!"

"Slow lot aren't you?" I smirked, before spotting my favourite clothes shop and squealing.

"Oh yeah," Kara grinned. "Lets go!" she yelled, grabbing my hand as we darted ahead of everyone else and ran to the clothes shop.

Yes, the shop is THAT great.

"Hey, check this one out!" Mariah yelled over to me about ten minutes later. I put down the silver halter top I was looking at, and headed over to the pink haired girl.

And I gasped.

"Oh. My. God,"

"Yeah, I know," Mariah grinned in triumph. "Its perfect for you, after all, your party is gonna be fancy dress!"

"Huh?" Well, that was news to me.

"Well, duh," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which to her, it probably was. "We haven't had a fancy dress party yet and its nearly Christmas!"

I forgot about that. It's a rule around here: one fancy dress party before Christmas, one during Christmas and two after Christmas. Weird, but fun.

"Okay, that's cool," I agreed happily, running my hand over the silky material.

"Go on, say it. Say you loooooove me!"

"I looooove you Mariah!" I giggled, grabbing her hand and heading towards the changing rooms.

Ten minutes later and I was out again, ignoring the girls pleads to let them see me in the dress.

"Nope," I chirped for the hundredth time. "You're gonna have to wait for the party gals, otherwise there'll be no surprise,"

"Awwww," they chorused.

I grinned.

* * *

"Fancy a quick spin in the skate park?" Mirror asked, twirling a strand of black hair in her fingers.

"Sure," Kara agreed.

"Would I ever," I grinned, dropping the shopping bags and letting Viper, my skateboard, drop to the floor.

Kara, Destiny and me shot off on our skateboards, skidding over the ramps and whizzing high through the air as everyone sat down, Mirror and Holly pulling on their roller blades as Mariah and Mariam just settled down to watch.

"I have approximately five seconds to shut down," Mariam groaned, flexing her tired limbs.

"You should get more exercise," Mariah smirked, looking perfectly happy.

"Five…"

"Honestly, Mariam, if you got more exercise…"

"Four…"

"…then you wouldn't have problems…"

"Three…"

"…with the boys…"

"Two…"

"…throwing you around all the time…"

"One…"

"…so really, it's your own fault," Mariah finished off.

"Shut down complete," Mirror grinned, as Mariam groaned and fell off the bench.

Which was just as well since the next thing I heard was a slight whizzing sound and a thud as an arrow embedded itself into the bench where Mariam had just been sitting.

Mariah screamed.

"What the fuck?" I yelled, skidding over to the arrow. It was only then I just realised there was a piece of paper pinned down by the arrow.

Really, have you ever heard of a message by arrow nowadays? Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned TALKING!

"Weirdo," I breathed, ripping out the arrow and chucking it aside as I grabbed the paper.

_Remember me?_

That's what it said.

"WILLOW WATCH OUT!" Mirror suddenly yelled, pointing to something behind me.

I whirled around, only to have my feet swept from under me. On pure reflex I grabbed the person and pulled him down with me.

Sheesh, this dude needs to lose weight.

"I've always admired your reflexes Tate,"

I froze at the sound of his voice. A voice I hadn't heard for two freaking years.

"JAMIE?"

Alarm filled me, and old ways I had thought I would never need here sharpened clearly, and the next thing I knew I had kicked Jamie clear off me and had jumped to my feet, adopting the typical fighting stance.

The black haired boy smirked.

"Oh, so you do remember me?"

"I could never forget you even if I woke up from a coma with amnesia," I snarled.

"I'm honoured," he laughed, unhooking his bow and arrows and letting them drop to the floor. "Really Tate, don't you trust me anymore?"

I cringed.

"I never trusted you,"

"Liar," he said immediately.

Why, oh WHY, does he have to be here!

"You trusted me," he continued, "May have taken a while, but I gained your trust,"

"A very vague one," I replied, warily letting my fists fall back to my sides.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Holly suddenly shrieked, having FINALLY found her voice.

Why is everyone so slow today!

"Holly!" Jamie greeted enthusiastically, "How have you been?"

"Oh great, thanks for asking," Holly growled, "But you haven't answered my question,"

"Of course I haven't," he said lightly, and the next thing I knew I was sprawled across the ground with a smarting cheek.

"HEY!" Mirror and Kara yelled.

"Shouldn't have let your guard down, Willow," Jamie tutted, "You haven't been practicing have you?"

I think that was when Kara lost her cool.

"LISTEN YOU WEIRDO, I HAVE NO IDEA—hmmph!"

"Don't worry, this is normal," Holly said lightly to Kara, slowly releasing her hand from over her mouth.

"No, but you obviously have," I replied, jumping to my feet and adopting the fighting stance again. "Did you wish to fight me?"

"I did, but not when you obviously haven't trained,"

"I'll take you on anyway," I growled.

I guess you guys want an explanation huh? Jamie, or James Hearn as he's known to most, is a half Japanese, half American nineteen-year-old martial artist that I knew from New York. It's a long complicated story that I'd rather forget but I would never be able to. Anyway, the main point is that before he joined the Martial Arts Dojo I was the best- a black belt unbeatable fourteen year old. When Jamie joined, at sixteen, he beat me. Thus began the roller coaster ride.

"Oh no," Holly groaned.

"Oh no what?" Mirror asked curiously.

"They're gonna fight,"

"So?"

Holly gave her a look.

Mirror backed off pretty quick.

"If you say so," he sighed, but his golden coloured eyes were dancing in anticipation.

"What are the stakes?" I asked, pulling my hair up into a ponytail.

Then he smirked. And that is NOT good.

"If I win, I want you back,"

"NO!" I immediately yelled.

Who the hell does he think he is!

"I'm taken and it's staying that way thanks," I ground out.

"And we all know that you'll drop him after a while," he smirked, taking a step closer.

WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS?

"I don't think so. We've been together for nearly three months,"

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!

"Johnny!" I cringed, as the redhead appeared with Tala, Ray, Max, Ozuma and Enrique.

"Oh shit," Holly breathed.

"What's going on?" Tala asked.

"Hearn?" Max blinked, "James Hearn? What the heck are you doing here?"

"Challenging your lovely sister to a fight," Jamie replied lightly.

"Oh," Max cringed at the thought. He turned to others, "Whatever happens, don't interrupt," he warned.

God, kill me! I haven't trained since last Sunday! And that was practically nothing, just punching a stupid punching bag without gloves, which was a doodle. And Jamie's obviously been training by the looks of him! He never used to be able to punch me without me actually noticing his fist was heading towards me. I was sprawled out on the floor before I realised what was happening!

"I just want one date Willow," Jamie smirked, "Y'know, catch up,"

"And if I win?"

"I'll leave,"

I took a deep breath.

"Deal."

"WHAT!" yelled several people.

"Willow, you can't win!" Holly cried out.

"Oh thanks a bunch sis," I grumbled sarcastically, "You think I don't know that already?"

"C'mon on then, what are we waiting for?" Jamie said pleasantly. Of course, by then I had leapt into the air to dodge the low kick.

_Time to play._

I twisted around, sending a roundhouse kick that was meant for his stomach but he had back flipped out of reach, landing nimbly on his feet and sending a low kick that I jumped over, finally landing a hit as my foot connected with his jaw.

"Haven't quite lost it, have you?"

"I thought you were here to fight, not chat,"

"Have it your way,"

Almost at once I had to throw myself to the ground to avoid a kick that was meant for my chest, rolling over and jumping up only to have a rather brutal punch slam against my shoulder.

"WILLOW!"

"Stay outta this Johnny!" I gasped as pain seared through my body, at the time I tried to push away Johnny.

"You're hurt though!"

"You think I don't know that?" I snapped, pushing myself to my feet. "Get back Johnny," I growled, my eyes never leaving Jamie's.

He listened, but did so rather half-heartedly.

"What _have _you been doing the last two years Willow? Two years ago a punch like that wouldn't have deterred you for even a second,"

"Is he kidding? He practically dislocated her shoulder!" Mirror exclaimed.

"He's right though," Holly breathed with wide eyes.

I ignored both of them. Cos I knew Holly and Jamie were both right. Two years ago I would've never hesitated to respond but now I'm crippled with pain.

"Damnit," I grumbled.

"Damnit indeed," Jamie agreed.

Jesus my shoulder HURTS!

"I'd love to see what Master Takashi is gonna do when he finds out," Jamie commented.

"MASTER TAKASHI IS HERE TOO?"

And here's me thinking that there's nothing interesting about our small town…

"Of course…didn't you know? That dudette…whatsername…Kina Chang? She lives here, they're old friends,"

"HEY!" Mirror suddenly yelled with wide eyes. "That's my aunt!"

"Wow," I remarked, squeezing my eyes shut and placing a hand against my shoulder. "It's a small world," and with that, I pushed my dislocated shoulder back into place. And boy did that hurt.

"OWWWWW!"

"Really?" Jamie raised an eyebrow at Mirror's stunned face, and completely ignored my pain. Okay, so most people would totally say that ignoring someone in shear pain was horrible but really, I'm totally used to it. Pain is something you can chose to scream and cry about or take it into stride and get on with it.

"WILLOW!"

"WOULD YOU STOP FUSSING!" I screamed at my frantically worried friends and boyfriend.

"Urgh!" Jamie yelled out as my fist lashed out and struck his jaw, quickly followed by my foot ramming into his chest, sending him flying backwards. "That's better!" he growled, leaping up and lunging at me. I quickly blocked his punch, ducked under a high kick and yelped as his elbow caught my stomach.

This was bloody brutal for someone who hasn't trained in…a year? Well, properly trained anyway.

I responded with a low kick that he dodged, a punch he blocked and a fist that struck home, causing blood to flow from his nose and down his chin. He wiped it away impatiently as I gasped for breath.

This soooo sucks.

"Why are you here anyway?" I gasped at the black haired boy, jumping backwards to dodge another kick that went within inches of my chest. I responded with a blow that could've done serious damage if it had landed.

"Training…with Master Takashi…he stopped by to visit that Chang woman…" he replied, grunting with pain as he took another blow to the chest.

"You're…still…training…!"

"Duh,"

"You're bloody mad!"

"I know, you've told me about a million times already,"

"Not in the last two years,"

And with that came the final blow, a punch that struck my cheek so hard I fell to the ground and couldn't get up again.

"I guess you win," I said in a choked voice against the cold grass, and instantly I felt Holly and Max pull me up, Max shifting me so that my weight rested against him.

"You okay?" he said, wiping away the small trickle of blood escaping from the corner of my mouth.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I replied, feeling light headed.

"So I'll pick you up after school on Monday shall I?" Jamie asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to stem the flow of blood trickling down his chin. Holly finally took pity and gave him a tissue.

"Yeah, okay,"

Jamie began to walk away, nodding once to Max and smiling briefly at Holly and Mirror.

"Hey Jamie!" I called after him.

"What?"

"Its nice to see you," I smiled.

He smiled back.

* * *

Soooo, new character. I wasn't sure about the whole martial arts thing, but recently I've started reading Inuyasha (I THINK I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM!) and Ranma 1/2, and thats whereI got the inspiration. Actually it was mostly from Ranma, but Inuyasha can kick some serious ass.Hehe.

Anyways, thanx to everyone who reviewed. AndI think several people wanted to know whats happening with Kara (Wow, shes pretty popular!). Kara WASN'T at themeeting whenthey decided to play Kai, but that was only because she was with Max at the time, remember? And yes, she will be supporting Willow and Mirror instead of her own brother.

Should be interesting huh?

Well, once again thanx to everyone who reviewed. AND JOHNNY IS NOT IN LOVE WITH WILLOW!I thought I'd clear that up.

Soooo...yeah.I think thats it.

Ciao dudes and dudettes,

Chiya


	14. The Prank War Begins

Heya guys soz its taken me a while to update but for some reason even though I WANTED to write I just really couldn't be bothered. Does that make sense? Its weird.

Anyways, here's the long awaited Prank War...well, the beginning anyway.

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade or any of its characters except my own. Mirror belongs to Truble.

ENJOY AND REVIEW!

* * *

Eye of the Storm

Chapter Fourteen: The Prank War Begins

"WHO WAS THAT GUY?"

"That's what I'd like to know,"

I KNEW this was coming! I mean I can't do ANYTHING around here without SOMEONE questioning me about it. Wait a sec, how come I always get away with the usual mad stuff but am always questioned when something completely normal happens?

Erm, does getting into a martial arts fight with a friend I haven't seen in two years include acting normal?

"Owww!" I winced, as Max continued to bandage my twisted ankle.

"Sorry,"

"Really, who was that guy?" Johnny demanded.

"He's…an old friend," I said slowly.

"An old friend that you only knew for a year before we left," Max smirked.

"Oh shut up!" I scowled, whacking him on the head.

"So…" Mirror prompted.

"So…what?"

"You dummy, what's up with that guy! And that whole martial arts thingy!"

"It's…complicated,"

"The whole James thing is, but the martial arts isn't," Holly remarked.

"I practiced martial arts since I was six years old. I met Jamie through the martial arts dojo. He remains the only person who can beat me in a fight," I shrugged.

"That…doesn't explain why he said he wanted you back," Kara pointed out.

Did she HAVE to mention that!

"That's something I rather forget…" I sighed.

"I don't like him." Johnny stated.

"You're not meant to like him, you're my boyfriend remember? Its your job to not like any guy who asks me on a date," I grinned.

"Haha, very funny,"

"What? Its true!"

"Hey, Johnny, you're distracting her!" Tala yelled.

Shit, these guys never give up do they?

Damnit.

"Did you ever go out with James or something?" Mariam asked.

"Kinda,"

"Kinda?"

"Kinda," I confirmed.

_'Where are we going, huh Sandy?'_

'I'm taking you to the cinema. You realise that martial arts is not the only thing that exists? We're in America ya know, not Ancient Japan. And only Sky calls me Sandy!'

'Well, now two people call you Sandy, and I'm quite aware of where and when we are. And the cinema? Why? Are we going on a date?'

'Stop smirking Jamie. And yes, it is a date, okay?'

'Date huh? We making this weird fling of ours more official then?'

'Urgh, NO! This weird fling of ours is staying secret THANK YOU!'

'_Whatever you say Sandy,'_

"Yo, Willow! Earth to Cass? ANYONE THERE?"

I blinked, shaking my head to clear the memory. Mirror was waving a hand in front of my face, and I swatted it away with a frown.

"Breakthrough!" Mi exclaimed.

"Oh shut up," I sighed, wincing as Max poked my recently dislocated shoulder.

"I guess you fixed that up yourself," Max determined.

"Ya think?" I muttered.

"Cass, you gonna explain the Hearn thing?" my brother demanded.

"No," I snorted, "I spent two years trying to forget about him without much success and I'm not about to dig up memories just for this lot,"

"Heh, figures," Max smirked, putting away the bandages. "Don't question her," he added when everyone opened their mouths to protest and demand. "She has a good reason y'know. Just let her sulk and heal."

"WHO'S SULKING?"

"See?"

"HMPH!"

Bloody brothers.

* * *

Monday morning. Five days left until my birthday. Five days left to Destruction Showdown, as Mi oh so kindly put it. Six days until the birthday party and…only seven hours left until I see Jamie again.

Fuck.

"Are you sure you can go into school with those injuries?"

I looked at my sister, who was dragging a comb through her hair and trying to pull on her socks at the same time. It was no surprise when she lost her balance and fell flat on her face.

Giggling, I responded with a "Of course!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, no worries Lollie. It doesn't even hurt anymore," I grinned, throwing my black and blue tie around my neck and leaving it untied, as usual.

"Whatever you say Cass,"

Smirking, I left the room, Holly falling flat on her face yet again, and banged on Max's door.

"WHAT?"

"You got ten minutes to get ready dude! GET UP!"

Once that was done, I ran downstairs, hoping to get a bit of breakfast before Tala turned up to give us a lift to school. He had insisted on it because I shouldn't skate on a twisted ankle, but I reckon he just wanted a reason to spend some time with Holly. Lovesick fools! 

"WILLOW!"

"YES MOM?"

"YOUR PHONE'S RINGING!"

"Mom!" I heard Holly yelled as I attempted to find my phone.

"What?"

"Is my tie in the washing?"

"Yes!"

"Max! Hurry up!"

"Cass your phone's here!"

"Thanks!"

Bloody madhouse.

"Hello, Willow here," I said once I had found my phone.

"Dude, guess who!"

That voice…I swear I know that voice!

"SKY!"

"Right in one! Shit Cass, where have you been!"

"Where have I been!" I yelled, "Dudette, you were the one who lost your phone! And moved to England! What was I supposed to do?"

"Alright, keep ya hats on! Anyway, I was just sorting through all my junk-"

"You must've been there for a week then-"

"Oh shut up! Anyway, I just found your number scribbled on a piece of paper under the bed. I mean, no wonder I didn't find it for ages!"

"Sky, its been almost a WHOLE year since I last talked to you!"

"I KNOW! I feel so shit about it! But guess what!"

"What?"

"I'm gonna visit my Grandma Jessa who lives out in Japan. Dude, you live in Taniana, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Cass, expect me in two days!"

I froze at this piece of info. Then I screamed so loudly that Holly fell over the last step of the stairs and Max dropped his shoe on his foot.

"SKY I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE THE BEST!"

"Don't I know it!"

I had to laugh. "Shut it you big headed cow!"

"Thank you! Anyways, I gotta go! Say hi to Lollie and Maxie for me!"

"Yeah sure, bye Sky!"

"Laters Cassie!"

_Click_. She had hung up.

Grinning, I turned to my brother and sister, who were both staring at me like I was mad.

"Sky says hi,"

"SKY WILLIAMS!"

"Yup. Hey Tala's here, c'mon!"

This day was really brightening up.

* * *

"So what's with this Sky chick?" Nick raised an eyebrow, readjusting the heavy bucket in his hand. I was bouncing up and down happily, half because of my best friend since I was two years old coming to visit and half because Nick, Fred, Dessy, Mi, Kara and I were all hiding in the girls' bathroom (poor Nick and Fred!) about to prank Amber Trendson and Melody Summers and whoever else was in their clique.

"She's my bestest best friend since I was two!" I said with a grin.

"Okaaaay,"

"Although no one can replace you girls." I added to the three other girls. They grinned back at me.

Mariah edged inside. "They're coming," she whispered, and immediately Mi picked up the water hose, Dest got ready to switch on the tap, Kara hoisted up the bucket beside her. Fred and Nick got ready to do their bits, leaning against the wall on either side of the door.

Noise seeped through the door as I waited calmly for it to open. When it did the faces of Amber Trendson and Melody Summers appeared in front of me.

"YOU!" Fashion Disaster shrieked, leaping at me. Okay, I don't exactly blame her. I mean, this has been the first time I've seen her since I split her and Kai up and for a while afterwards Amber had stayed at home with her tail between her legs like the coward she is.

"Yeah, me," I smirked as I sidestepped her hopeless punch.

"You little bitch-"

"Shut up," I said promptly, shocking her into silence. "Now do us a favour yeah?" she didn't reply as a malicious grin formed on my lips.

"Don't scream,"

At that moment Dest twisted the tap, and Mi winked at the two cheerleaders before letting a barrel of water slam into the two girls. They shrieked in horror but the next second Nick and Fred tied pieces of cloth over their mouth so no one could hear them. Luckily it was a free period for all of us but that doesn't go to say that someone might hear us or something.

"Alright!" Nick grinned. "Now close your eyes girls,"

"You fucking asshole-" Melody spluttered as Amber just blinked.

"I warned ya,"

The next thing anyone knew Amber was skidding around on the wet floor, making muffled screams with a bucket on her head, pouring glue all over her.

"Oh shit," Dest said through her hysterical laughter. "GO KARA!"

Amber smacked straight into a wall and bounced off onto the floor. Still shrieking muffled sounds she wiped away the glue from her eyes, which now covered her entire body.

And then Kara emptied a whole bucket full of god knows what, I think I can see a load of feathers, some ketchup and brown sauce, is that…melted cheese! Well, anyways, she emptied the whole thing onto Amber's head just after Dest yanked the bucket that was already on her head off.

"MMMMFFPPPHHHHHH!" Amber wailed.

"What the fuck is that?" I asked a hysterical Kara, trying to suppress my own laughter.

"I-I'm not sure…!" Kara giggled as Amber started running around and flapping her arms as if she was demented bird trying to take off. "I think its…um…sweets? No, no, its tampons!"

Tampons?

"Fred and Nick," I laughed as I realised.

"Noticed huh?" Fred grinned as he tried to keep balance on the wet floor. Then he grabbed my arm and slipped at the same time, sending us both crashing to the floor.

"FRED!" I shrieked through my laughter.

"OWW!"

"Hmph!" Both Melody, who was splattered with both glue and feathers and odd bits of melted cheese that stuck to her hair, and Amber tripped over us, falling into a heap next to us.

"Me toph!" Melody wailed through the cloth.

"TAKE COVER!" Mirror yelled as she slipped as well and landed on top of me.

"MIRROR!"

"Owww…"

Kara, Destiny and Mariah were standing off on one side, hugging each other as they laughed their heads at us.

Slowly the hysteria died down and Kara helped Mirror up, before Mi, being the klutz she is, slipped and pulled down Kara to the floor. Still giggling, I lifted myself slowly and carefully as Nick helped Mirror up. She slipped again but Nick caught her in time and now stands to be the only person who hasn't fallen down while helping someone up.

GO NICK!

"Give us a hand," Kara mumbled through weak giggles. I leaned down and pulled her up, luckily neither of us fell over.

"Dudes, the bell's gonna go in five minutes," Fred warned.

"Okay lets get the ball rolling," Nick said, pulling up Amber who no longer was struggling or making any sounds. Fred followed his brother's example and hoisted up Melody.

Mariah checked the corridor before signalling that we could go. The twins dragged the two silent cheerleaders as Mariah and Destiny went ahead and Kara, Mirror and I trailed behind, giggling quietly.

"They didn't know what hit them!" Mirror whispered, ducking to avoid the teacher looking through the window of one of the classrooms.

"I know!" Kara grinned, her auburn eyes dancing.

"Say, this week should be really interesting," I mused.

"Are you kidding?" Mi snorted.

"Nope."

"It was a rhetorical question you nuthead,"

"I know,"

"Got the ropes?" Fred asked as we caught up with them in the playground.

"Yep," Mirror grinned as she retrieved the long rope from her bag.

"Who wants Amber? Cass?"

"Sure thing," I grinned, pushing said person against the tree closest to the main gates .

"I want Summers!" Mirror squealed, grabbing Melody.

"SO DO I!" Kara yelled, snatching Melody away.

I watched in amusement as Kara and Mirror kept pushing and pulling Melody around, before Destiny grabbed her and pushed her against the tree before either girl could notice.

"Okay rope!" Destiny yelled, grabbing Mirror and Kara's attention, since Kara was now running around piggy backing Mirror.

What the fuck?

Okay, they've officially gone mad.

"Okie dokies," Mi grinned, dropping to the floor. Grabbing one end of the rope, we started running in circles around the tree and a whimpering Melody and a scared shitless Amber.

"Wh-what are you doing!" Amber stuttered.

"Wait and see," Mi grinned as she passed her, yanking hard on the rope. Finally we met on the other side of the tree and tied the rope into a double knot.

"You can't do this!" Melody wailed. "You'll get in trouble!"

"Nah, we won't," Kara smirked.

"What about your sister huh?" Melody shot at me, "She'll blow a fuse when she finds out,"

Yeah, maybe if this had happened last month.

"Nope, sorry to burst your flimsy bubble of hope Summers but Holly herself said this was a good idea, okay?"

"WHAT!"

"BRRRRINNNNNGGGGG!"

"The bell!"

"Okay, c'mon!"

Soon the playground filled up, and just as predicted everyone began flocking towards us in interest.

"What's going on?" Ozuma frowned as him and the boys arrived.

"You'll see," Dest smirked as I stood in front of Amber and Melody, who was now sobbing openly.

Once the crowd was big enough, Kara and Mirror stood on either side of me and looked at me.

"Lets do this," I grinned.

Kara nodded and turned to the food and feather covered cheerleaders. "Amber Trendson. Willow Tate, Mirror Chang and I, Kara Hiwatari, challenge you to a prank war,"

Amber glared at us. "Fine, I accept," she sneered.

"Oh good. The rules are as followed," I smirked, "One: There is a time limit of one week. The official dead line is Sunday morning, nine o'clock,"

"Two: You may have anyone you like on your side as long as they're not already on our side." Mirror said.

"And three: You can prank anyone you like but once you've pranked that person they can no longer be on your side," Kara finished off.

"Okay, we're done here," Mirror grinned.

"See ya girls," Nick and Fred called over their shoulders.

"Yeah laters. Good luck with getting some good pranks," Kara smirked as we walked off.

"HEY! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US HERE!"

"Watch us!" I yelled back.

Mariah and Destiny ran up to us.

"Brilliant!"

"Yeah! I've got it all on camera too!" Mariah grinned, waving the video camera in our face.

"Wicked!"

"So, Cass, you all set for after school?" Mirror asked as we walked away, the laughter of the crowd fading.

"Oh yeah, I've got a change of clothes with me," I sighed.

Five hours left til I see Jamie again.

_Damn._

* * *

Okay tell me what you think yeah? And I'll try to update quickly next time. Lol.

Just a question guys...I've had this new idea for a beyblade fic. Its about this girl Lily who has a large family with twelve kids including her. They've just moved from New York to North California and she ain't exactly happy with it. Its also got a twist- theres magic involved.Y'know, another world through a portal (think Inuyasha style but notthe same. it isnt the past, just a completely different world) a talking cat called Misty who technically isnt a cat andLily being the Guardian of...well, okay, itsjust about her trying to juggle her school life, love life, home life and other-worldly life. Tell me what you think okay?

Well,review please!

Ciao

Chiya


	15. A Date With The Ex

HEY DUDES! Okay, I know its been, like, a MONTH or something since I last updated and I am REALLY SORRY! Y'know my only excuse is that I've been snowed under coursework but thats not really an excuse as I did have some time to do this...I'm rambling aren't I?

Whoops. Anyways, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade but thanks for thinking I do ;) _Imaginary_ belongs to Evanescence.

ENJOY!

* * *

**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Fifteen: A Date With The Ex.**

"I don't want you to go," Johnny grumbled.

"I don't have any choice babe," I replied, yanking off my school shirt.

"You shouldn't've fought him at all," he pointed out.

"Johnny, he was challenging me and I am NEVER one to decline a challenge. Anyways, which one? Blue or green?" I said, holding up a lime green t-shirt and a navy blue tank top.

"Blue," Johnny said automatically before groaning.

"Thanks," I grinned, tugging it over my head.

Being alone in the out-of-order boys toilets with Johnny sure isn't nice, especially when you're dying to jump him only you can't cos you gotta get ready for a bloody date with someone else entirely.

As Johnny sulked I stuffed my school shirt into my bag and decided to stick with my school skirt since people tell me it makes me look innocent.

"Johnny," I groaned. I clambered onto his lap and straddled him. "Aren't I even gonna get a kiss?"

"You don't deserve one," the redhead grumbled, not even looking at me.

I sighed, bringing my face closer to his.

"Johnny…I love you…"

That got his attention. He he…argh, damnit, violet eyes…uh…dizzy swirly violet eyes…with the tiniest green flecks…no, shagging now no good…date…date? What date?

My lips collided with his.

The whole world ceased to exist. Everything just…disappeared. Just me and Johnny.

_Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck._

His hand was caressing my skin; mine were buried in his red mess of hair. His lips were so soft…

_If I died now I'd die happy_.

"Don't…you…have…to…go…?"

"Oh God," I groaned, as his lips began to make their way down my collarbone. "I don't…wanna…"

_Damnit.

* * *

_

"Took you long enough," Jamie smirked, leaning against his motorbike as I ran up to him. I received loads of envious and weird looks as I approached him. I guess Jamie is very good looking and technically I'm meant to be in love Johnny so I guess its no surprise I'm getting looks.

"I was making sure my boyfriend knew this date doesn't mean anything," I snapped, a little miffed about having to leave said boyfriend.

"Whatever you say Sandy," Jamie replied, climbing onto his motorbike.

"Where we going anyway?"

"You'll see,"

Sighing in annoyance, I climbed onto the back of the motorbike and pulled on a helmet. As I waved to Holly, Kara and Mirror, Jamie took off so abruptly I shrieked and flung my arms his waist.

"Bloody hell," I growled. "A warning would be nice,"

"Never stopped you two years ago. You've lost most of that sharp edge Sandy," Jamie yelled over the wind. I didn't bother responding but let go of his waist anyway.

Ten minutes later and we were no longer in town, but at the edge of the woods that spread from the east of the town for almost thirty miles. It was well known for its hot springs and the lake at the centre.

"We going in there?" I asked as Jamie slowed down and began to ride down the path into the woods.

"Yep, got a surprise for you,"

Uh oh. Jamie and surprises are never…well, lets just say it takes me a while to recover from them.

Another five minutes later and we were finally stopping next to the clear beautiful lake. He led me to the hut was rented out often to tourists and stuff, and pushed the door open.

"This where you're staying?" I asked, looking around in interest.

"Yeah. Through here,"

I followed him through another door into a large empty room.

"Willow, so pleased to see you!"

"MASTER TAKASHI!"

* * *

Master Takashi sure complains a lot. I forgot about that.

"…all skin and bones you are. What happened, you on a diet?"

"No," I replied defensively.

"And you cut your hair! What did I tell you about cutting your hair Willow?"

"It brings bad luck," I recited.

"Exactly. But the moment you leave you cut your hair. Has nothing I've taught you sunk in that thick head of yours?" he rapped my head with a stick sharply, causing me to wince.

"Oww…"

Master Takashi is one of those types of guys that don't care what you think about them and will dedicate their whole lives to one thing. In this case, martial arts, but that just makes him more annoying. He's cool though, and back in America I considered him somewhat like a Grandpa.

"Hn. Slow reaction time. I expected better from one of my star pupils Willow," Master Takashi glowered at me, as I shifted uncomfortably on the straw mat. Jamie smirked.

"But never mind, I guess we can stay here a while and work on that…" Takashi sighed, sipping at his tea.

Two seconds later and what he had said sunk in.

"WHAT! What d'you mean you're staying here? Aren't you meant to be training Jamie? I gave up martial arts more than a year ago!"

"James can train perfectly well here," Master Takashi replied calmly, "And you will take up martial arts again. I don't care what I have to do, but I will see Willow Tate perform a Shadow Hand once more,"

The Shadow Hand. A move I've only mastered once. One of the most complicated, near impossible moves in martial arts.

HE WANTS ME TO BE ABLE TO DO IT AGAIN!

IS HE BLOODY INSANE?

Hang on, this is when I put my absolutely brilliant vocabulary range to use.

"Huh?"

"In short Willow, I expect you here six o'clock tomorrow morning to start your training,"

You must be kidding me!

"Now, you two don't want to hang out here all afternoon with a senile old man do you!"

We stared blankly at him.

"In other words, SCRAM!"

Senile indeed.

* * *

"That was hilarious!"

"Maybe to you!" I shot at the black haired teenager laughing his head off as we walked into Oliver's café.

"Your face though!"

"Hey, I was surprised!"

"Hey Cass!" Oliver greeted as we headed to the counter.

"Hey Ollie, just the guy I wanna see. I need a strawberry milkshake. Make it a double."

"Ohhhh, bringing out the big guns huh?" Oliver grinned, grabbing a glass and filling it up with the sweet creamy substance I was so addicted to.

"I need it. And chocolate ice cream for this idiot—hey, you still like chocolate ice cream right?" I asked Jamie, who licked his lips in anticipation. "I guess that's a yes,"

Damnit, his lips still look really kissable… 

NO! No way, I did not think that! I'm addicted to a different guy now…heck I'm even in love with said guy…

_"Maybe if you hadn't spilt that ice cream all over my top I wouldn't've dropped my milkshake on you!" my fifteen year old self yelled, jabbing Jamie's chest with each word._

"_If you hadn't of ran into me I might've not dropped the ice cream in the first place!" Jamie snapped._

"_Argh! JERK!"_

"_Idiot!"_

"_Stupid bastard!"_

"_Insane wench!"_

_I blinked. He blinked. We had only just realised how close our faces were. Damn, those lips look really inviting right now…_

"_You're an idiot you know Sandy…" he murmured. _

"_And you're an impossible jerk Jamie…" I breathed in response._

_Our lips collided in our first kiss._

Holy crap, where did that come from!

"Here you go Cass," Ollie said cheerfully, bringing me out of my daze. He leaned in closer as Jamie took the ice cream and headed over to the window booth. "Who's the hottie then?"

I've never mentioned that Oliver's gay, have I?

"Oh, Jamie? I mean, James. He's my ex."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Does Johnny know about him?" he asked sceptically. I gave him an affronted look.

"Yeah! Jeez, look, Ollie, he's just a mate I haven't seen in two years. We're just catching up okay?"

"Okay," Oliver sighed, "Sorry babe, but I don't wanna see you and Johnny breaking up. You're definitely the best couple around,"

I grinned, "Thanks Ollie," I said, kissing his cheek before heading over to where Jamie sat impatiently.

"I swear to God if you try anything do not blame me for the bruises you'll get afterwards," I grumbled as I sat opposite him.

"Huh?" came his intelligent response as he slurped on his ice cream.

"Everyone's asking who the hell you are. They keep insisting that Johnny and I are the IT couple…it never seems to stop them mentioning that you're a fine piece of eye candy," I explained with a small smile.

"Willow," Jamie said seriously, "Just because I loved you two years ago doesn't mean to say I still love you now. Clear?"

"Crystal," I said happily.

Okay, now that _that's_ sorted…

_Whoa, wait a sec! REWIND!_

"What d'ya mean you loved me! You made it perfectly clear that you didn't several times!"

But before he could respond two people dropped into the seats next to us.

"Hey, sorry to gatecrash," my lovely sister grinned, flipping her chestnut brown hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah, but we couldn't help it," Tala added, "Hey. Name's Tala," he said to the black haired nineteen year old.

"Hey, the name's James,"

"Funny, I thought it was Jamie,"

"No, only Willow and Sky ever got away with calling me that," Jamie grinned.

"Figures," Tala grinned, winking at me.

I smirked right back.

"So, c'mon on then, what are you guys doing here?"

"Oh, us?" Holly smiled, "Nothing really, we just wanted a cuppa. And I just wanted to tell you we have a gig at the Topaz Dragon on Wednesday. Should be great for Sky,"

"Okay, cool," I agreed happily.

"Has anyone seen…oh there you are!" chimed a voice that obviously belonged to Kara.

"Hey Kara, Maxie, sup?" I grinned at the two newcomers.

Hey, they're holding hands!

YEY!

"Dudettes, we need to practice. I mean, seriously, how long has it been since our last practice?" Kara said with a stubborn face.

"Uh…a week?" Holly offered, as she put down her coffee.

"Exactly! Anyway, how's the date going?" Kara asked, switching topics randomly like she usually does.

"Are you bloody kidding me!" I growled as Jamie burst out laughing again, "We went to see Master Takashi- my old martial arts teacher- and guess what! I HAVE TO START TRAINING AGAIN!"

My sister winced in sympathy but Max just started laughing.

And everyone thinks Max is just a sweet hyper eighteen year old…

If only they knew what torture he throws upon his little sisters…

"ITS NOT GODDAMN FUNNY! I HAVE TO GET UP AT FIVE IN THE MORNING TOMORROW!"

This only served to make the boys laugh harder.

"Oh shut up," Kara said hitting Max lightly, but wearing her own smirk of amusement.

Even Holly was twitching slightly, which meant she was trying to not show any signs of laughter.

Was it any wonder that Jamie ended up with my milkshake on his head?

* * *

"Man, that was priceless!" Kara roared with laughter, about half an hour later as me, Kara, Max, Mariah, Jamie, Holly and Tala all climbed the hill towards Johnny's house.

"Shut up already!" Jamie groaned.

"Hey, Jamie, I think there's something pink in your hair!" I giggled.

"It's called the milkshake you oh-so-kindly covered me in!"

"Oh yeah…damn, that was a waste of good milkshake,"

"It went to a good cause," Kara assured me.

I don't think she likes Jamie all that much.

"I wish I was there to see it," Mariah sighed, obviously imagining the whole scene in her head.

"Another time, hun, another time," Holly grinned.

"So c'mon then, tell me about the band," Jamie grumbled, obviously trying to move the topic of discussing away from the milkshake incident. I grinned, but let it go anyway.

"We're called the Twisted Angels," Holly quipped.

"Holly's the lead singer, Cass is the lead guitar and backing singer, I'm on the bass guitar and Kara is on the drums," Mariah continued.

"We play a lot of gothic rock music," I supplied.

"AND WE'RE THE BEST AROUND!" Kara yelled, punching the air. We laughed.

We reached Johnny's house at that point, and I pressed the doorbell. The butler answered it and informed us in a very annoyingly snotty voice that Johnny was in his bedroom.

"You guys head to the practice room," I told the others as I climbed up the marble staircase.

Damn, I need some alone time with Johnny and _fast_.

* * *

"ABOUT TIME!" Mirror yelled as we entered the practice room, all mused up and smiling in a maddening way. I'm talking about me and Johnny by the way, cos unless Mi's decided to execute her plan to take Kai for everything he's got early, I don't think she has a reason to be all mused up and smiling in a maddening way. Uh oh, I'm rambling aren't I?

"When did you get here?" I asked her, ignoring her impatient yell.

And I honestly swear to God she wasn't here when we arrived.

She shrugged, "I called you on your mobile to ask how the date went and Kara answered it and told me you lot were here so I decided to come join you," she turned to Johnny, "Dude, you need a new butler. Seriously, he is soooo RUDE! And posh…I bet he's English,"

"Yeah, well, try saying that to my Dad. He doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with Jeeves," Johnny said, rolling his eyes.

"Why is that butlers names always begin with 'J'?" I asked as we joined the others. Kara had a steady beat going on the drums and Mariah was messing around on the bass.

"Dunno. Weird though," Johnny commented with a semi-interested look.

Well, at least he TRIED to look interested!

"Hey, finally done with the make out session? Cos I'd really like to hear you play," Jamie grinned.

SEE! He's totally over me! I'm over him! WHY'S EVERYONE SO WORRIED!

"Yeah, let's get this ball rock and rollin'" Kara grinned, twirling her drumsticks in her hand.

"Okay, we set? How bout _Imaginary _to get us started?" Holly asked, picking up the microphone.

"Sure thing sis,"

"And one and two and three…"

Mariah and me started off the tune, our fingers strolling over the strings with experienced ease. Holly waited a few seconds before Kara joined in and a soft voice flowed over the notes.

_I linger in the doorway_

_Of alarm clock screaming_

_Monsters calling my name_

_Let me stay_

_Where the wind will whisper to me_

_Where the raindrops_

_As they're falling tell a story_

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullaby_

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

_Don't say I'm out of touch_

_With this rampant chaos- your reality_

_I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge_

_The nightmare I built my own world to escape_

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullaby_

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

_Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming_

_Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights_

_Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming_

_The goddess of imaginary light_

_In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullaby_

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

We stopped, smirking slightly at the looks of awe from Mi and Jamie.

"That was bloody amazing. Voice of a fallen angel, Aria," Jamie managed to say.

"Aria?" everyone looked confused, except for us Tates.

"Aria is one of Holly's middle names. Its what we always used to call her back in America," I said cheerfully.

"Guys, I'd like to say this now: when you're famous, can I be your manager?" Mirror asked seriously.

Laughter erupted.

"I'm being serious!"

"Hey, hate to ruin the magic moment of a great song, but…" Holly trailed off, frowning slightly.

"What?" Tala encouraged.

"We need more things for the song. It was great and everything but it seemed a little…"

"…empty?" I offered, understanding what my sister was on about. "Yeah Aria, I know,"

"Maybe we need a piano to accompany it, or even a keyboard. And a violin wouldn't go amiss either," Lollie suggested.

"Jesus, babe, do we know anyone that plays the keyboard or the violin?" Mariah asked.

"Sure, Ollie plays the keyboard," Max offered.

"Yeah, and Dest mentioned something about being a grade six violinist once," I quipped.

"Okay, all we need to do is give 'em a call and see if they're up to it," Tala grinned, taking out his mobile and throwing it to me. I speed dialled Ollie first.

Pretty soon I had both Oliver and Destiny agreeing to play with us.

"See?" Tala grinned, wrapping an arm around Holly's waist, "No problem. Just email them the notes, cram a little practice after school and you're all set," he kissed her cheek as well, but refrained from flirting further after the look I shot them.

"Okay," Holly sighed, staring at the floor. Suddenly a mischievous grin played on her face. "Johnny, Tala, get out the vodka. This bands gonna play a little song called Lady Marmalade,"

Yep, she's totally lost it.

But maybe that's a good thing.

* * *

Okay, thats all for now folks. Just press that lil purple button and drop me a review and I'll be VERY HAPPY!

**Next Chapter: **Sky arrives, the girls get a little surprise from Amber, and a night at the club seems the best way to get drunk...

I promise to update a little sooner then last time. Since its the Easter hols, I got some spare time.

Oh, and of course, THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! I GOT TEN FOR THE LAST CHAPTER SO DON'T LET ME DOWN FOR THIS ONE! Lol.

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	16. Training, Pranks and Old Friends

Hey guys, I'm back! Yes, I know, don't get all over excited now... Lol. Anyway, I've updated faster than last time so make sure you review okay?

Disclaimer: If I owned Kai Hiwatari and Johnny McGregor I would be the happiest person alive. Unfortunately, I have two courseworks due in next Tuesday and the Easter holidays are ending soon so I could pretty much sayI'm NOT happy.

ENJOY AND REVIEW!

* * *

**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Sixteen: Training, Pranks and Old Friends**

"BEEP!"

Urgh…

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

What the fuck is that? The bloody phone!

"BEEP BEEP!"

Nooooo, I don't think it's the phone.

"BEEP!"

The phone doesn't make beeping noises…

THUD!

"**BEEP BEEP BEEP!**"

What the…! A pillow just landed on me! ITS RAINING PILLOWS!

"**_BEEP BEEP!_**"

It stopped raining pillows! Wow, only one though.

THUMP!

Oh great, now its raining remotes! Damn that hurt.

"**_BEEP BEEP BEEP!_**"

That beeping noise…OH! It's my ALARM CLOCK!

Duh, Willow, how could you be stupid!

Slowly, I peered out from under my yellow star splattered black duvets and slammed my hand onto the blurred thing that was making a lot of noises.

"About fucking time," I heard Holly grumble from the other side of the bedroom, as I attempted to figure out what the numbers on my alarm clock meant.

What? I'm a little slow in the morning, big deal.

Seriously though, I can't read the time…

FUCKING HELL! IT'S ONLY ABOUT FIVE IN THE BLOODY MORNING!

Why the fuck is my alarm clock going off at five in the morning?

"You've got practice Will," Holly mumbled into her pillow, as if reading my mind.

OH YEAH! Man, I'm so stupid! How could I forget? Martial arts with Master Takashi and Jamie…bugger…

I rolled out of bed, not even noticing that I almost twisted my ankle by stumbling over a stack of rock magazines.

"Pass that pillow Lila," my sis grumbled. I looked blearily at the pillow that Holly had thrown at me and then I thought it was raining pillows…mornings are just so confusing for me. I think up the most ridiculous things!

After chucking the offending item at my sis, who instantly placed it under her head and promptly fell asleep, I began to get ready for the day.

It turns out that absolutely nobody is up at five in the morning in my household, which is no big surprise. After all, even my workaholic mom doesn't get up so early! After a refreshing shower and getting dressed in black combats, a red tank top and trainers, while stuffing my uniform in my bag for later I headed downstairs for a quick espresso. My tip: never eat before a work out, it'll only serve to upset your stomach. Trust me, I know.

I wasn't stupid. I knew exactly what was heading my way so I took precautions. My hair was tied in a high ponytail with a simple red ribbon, keeping it away from my face. I wasn't going to get anywhere with long nails so I had cut them last night. I wore no make up either, considering I knew for a fact I was going to go to school absolutely filthy. Unless there would be time for a shower. Which I highly doubt.

I left pretty early, knowing it would take just under half an hour to get there if I JOGGED. So I slung my sports bag over my shoulder, and began to jog.

Why am I so NOT looking forward to this?

* * *

"Hey, hey, look who it is!" Jamie greeted cheerfully as I jogged up to him, thanking the fact I am actually still fit! 

"Oh shut up," I shot at him, leaning over with my hands on my knees and gasping for breath, while my sports bag slipped from my shoulder and crumpled to the ground.

"Aww, is the lil star pupil tired?" Jamie asked in a way one would talk to a baby.

I shot him a look.

He promptly shut up.

HA! Take that!

He he…uh oh…

"Willow!" Master Takashi greeted, "Are you ready?"

I nodded slowly, resigning my self to bad fate.

"Good! Follow me!"

I followed him dutifully, as Jamie continued doing press-ups, the reason he had great abs in the first place, and my eyes widened as it took in what was before me.

The clear beautiful lake stretched ahead of me, glistening in the sunrise. It was breath takingly beautiful and I had absolutely no idea why I was here.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Takashi said. I nodded. "Okay, for today you'll be working those muscles back to their original strength. Might take a while but we can start here…" he dug into his bag, "Here." He said, handing me a black standard bikini. "I want three laps by the time we're done,"

And he just walks off!

Do you know how bloody huge that lake is!

AAAARRRRGHHHHH!

…well, might as well get on with it…

I hid behind a clump of trees, changing quickly into the bikini and stepped into the icy water.

Damn that's bloody cold.

I slowly moved in til I was waist deep, ignoring the fact Jamie was staring at me- no surprise there- and dived straight in, beginning the first lap.

Half an hour later and I was only half way through my second lap. And completely unable to form coherent thoughts.

Bloody…freezing…stupid…Takashi…insane…completely…insane…Jamie…so…dead…for…meeting…Takashi…yesterday…

You see what I mean?

"HEY TATE!"

Urgh…

Jamie was standing on the bank opposite to where I was swimming, grinning manically.

"HAVING FUN?"

Oh he is soooo dead when I'm finished.

"FUCK OFF!" I managed to yell back, speeding up a little.

Jamie grinned but turned away anyway.

Yeah, you run, cos you ain't gonna have anything to say when I'm finished with you!

Oh boy…

* * *

"YOU ARE SO DEAD!" I yelled as soon as I had climbed out of the lake, another fifteen minutes later. Snatching up the towel that Takashi was holding out to me and wrapping it around my cold, probably blue body, I ran towards Jamie who was starting to look a little scared. 

"Uhh…Willow…please don't hurt ME!" he yelped as I jumped onto his back and started whacking his head with my tired limbs.

"THAT'S FOR MAKING FUN OF ME!"

WHACK!

"THAT'S FOR LAUGHING AT ME YESTERDAY!"

THUMP!

"OWWWW!"

"AND THAT'S FOR BRINGING ME TO SEE MASTER TAKASHI IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

THUD!

"WILLOW!"

"AND THAT'S FOR EXISTING!"

WHACK! THUD!

"I think he gets the point, Willow," Master Takashi chuckled as I stood over the crumpled body on the floor.

Um, d'you think I over did it?

…naaaah.

"Willow, why don't you go and have a long soak in the hot water springs?" Takashi said, as Jamie groaned and rolled over.

"That sounds like a good idea!" I said happily.

Which of course is why ten minutes later I was happily soaking in the hot springs, while sitting on a rock half submerged in hot water.

Now, THIS is nice.

* * *

The rest of the day passed without much incidents, unless you count Dest pouring superglue all over Amber's chair and pretty much ruining her favourite skirt, and in turn Amber emptying a tub of bleach all over Kara's hair, much to her dismay, but luckily Mariah saved the day and returned Kara's hair back to normal. 

Training the next morning was the same as before…three laps in the lake, which I had now gotten used to, and a long soak in the hot springs.

Which of course leads me to now.

"Hey Cass!"

"Hey guys!" I greeted, skidding to a stop on my skateboard in the centre of my knot of friends.

"How was training?" Kara asked.

"Same as yesterday, only this time I didn't beat up Jamie," I replied with a grin.

"Aww crud,"

I seriously don't think she likes Jamie.

"Where's Johnny?" I asked, noticing the missing redhead that was my boyfriend.

"He hasn't arrived yet,"

"Aww, crud,"

Kara laughed.

"Well, it is pretty early. Even Holly hasn't arrived yet,"

"Wow!"

"Yeah I know!"

"Holly said she was heading over to Tala's pretty early to cram in for his French exam," Ray informed us.

Cram? More like shag…

ANYWAYS!

"Figures," I shrugged, vaguely trying to look innocent. Which I've been told is impossible but it looks like I pulled it off this time.

Once again people: THANK GOD I'M A GOOD ACTRESS!

"Do you think its really bad of me to notice that my boyfriend is missing before I notice my own twin sister is?" I asked.

Pause.

"Nah,"

"Oh good,"

* * *

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!" 

I jumped, startled, and almost slipped on a bar of soap. We were in the showers after a long P.E lesson that included playing football, which our team won, and an obstacle course. Nearly everyone else was gone, since it was only ten minutes til the bell went and we had break after this.

"What?" I asked, peering around the curtains to see a towel clad Mirror looking very pale.

Shutting off the water and gabbing my own towel, I stepped outside my shower cubicle.

"…Someone…someone…clothes…"

"Clothes…what?" Kara frowned, stepping out of her own cubicle opposite mine.

"Urgh…"

"C'mon on Mi, help us out here," I said impatiently as Dest rolled her eyes and headed for the changing area.

"…clothes…" was about all she managed.

"Well, there's nobody here," Dest called over from her spot. Then she let out a horrified shriek.

"Dest!" we yelled, not including Mi that is since she seems to be in shock.

Destiny came running towards us, looking VERY panicked.

"SOMEONE STOLE OUR CLOTHES!"

* * *

"Well, what do we do?" 

I shrugged, looking around helplessly. The clothes snatcher had only left our underwear and nothing else. All of us stood with our towels wrapped firmly around us.

"I bet this was Amber's doing," Kara scowled.

"Yeah, probably," Mi agreed, having finally gotten over her shock.

"We could always try call Holly and get her to find our clothes," Dest offered.

"Nah, she never leaves her phone on during school. Besides, I don't trust any of the boys not to make a big scene and the other gals are pretty helpless when it comes to Amber," I sighed, shaking my head.

Mi huffed in annoyance.

"Wait!" Dest yelled, looking as if she suddenly remembered something. "For Textiles we've been making a dress- I only need to add the final touches. Willow could go find our clothes!"

Mirror and Kara whooped and hugged Dessy.

"Why me?" I wailed.

Dest shrugged. "I based the sizes on Holly, and the dress is too small for everyone else,"

Typical.

"Besides," Dest smirked, "I think you'll like it,"

She took out the dress from her bag.

Wow.

"Suddenly I don't mind,"

Dest grinned.

* * *

It took all of break for Dest to finally finish the dress, and by the time I had set off from the girls changing rooms- luckily, no one had P.E during period three- it was half way through our history lesson. 

The dress was a work of genius. It was a halter neck mini that hugged my body in all the right places, accenting on my hips and showing very little cleavage. The material was silvery blue silk that was cool and smooth to touch, and it felt absolutely wonderful. There was no back, only silky strands of material criss-crossing over my back and revealing a henna tattoo of a Celtic cross on the small of my back.

Simple, but gorgeous.

I smirked as I reached the door leading to our history class. Through the window I could see Mrs Harriett at the desk going through some homework sheets and Mr Connors talking cheerfully to the class.

I'm really going to knock their socks off.

He he.

I bounded right in.

"Willow!" Connors yelped, taking in my appearance.

"Do you like?" I grinned, twirling around, "Destiny made it, in Textiles,"

"That's all very well Miss Tate, but do you have an excuse as to why you are modelling such an inappropriate dress?" Mrs Harriett sneered, as half the boys in the class stared. I saw Fred and Nick grinning like maniacs and winking when they saw me looking.

Good old twins.

"Of course," I smirked at Harriett, "You see, me, Kara Hiwatari, Destiny Rider and Mirror Chang had P.E this morning. Unfortunately, someone stole our clothes,"

"You mean you're not wearing any underwear under that?" a senior boy blurted.

Most of the class sniggered.

I simply smiled. "Is that a wise thing to say while my boyfriend is in the room?" I asked lightly, as Johnny glowered at the senior. He gulped.

I grinned.

This is fun!

"And yes, I am wearing underwear," I added.

There were collective groans before the looks that Johnny, Nick and Fred sent them shut them up.

"So why aren't you hunting down your clothes?" Connors asked.

I blinked. "I am,"

"You are?"

"Uh huh,"

"Who took them?"

"Her,"

Everyone turned to where I was pointing, and weren't surprised to see an annoyed Amber.

"LIAR!" she shrieked.

Yeah, right.

I simply raised my eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" Connors sighed.

"Yup,"

"Miss Trendson, detention with Mrs Harriett tonight, and please return the girls' clothes immediately,"

Both Harriett and Amber spluttered in indignation. I bit back a grin.

"I don't have them!"

"Really, Mr Connors, why can't you take her for detention!"

"Another detention for lying and Mrs Harriett, you must deal with her because this is also your class and I have plans tonight," Connors snapped at both of them, but there was a triumphant gleam in his green eyes.

Amber grudgingly flung a sports bag at me, which I opened to see all our clothes inside. I smiled, slinging it over my shoulder.

"Thanks sir, we'll be back once we get changed,"

"Hang on- take a pass, don't wanna get caught now, do you?"

Harriett let out a muffled wail.

I grinned triumphantly.

* * *

"BLUE!" 

"SANDY!"

Sky let out a squeal as soon as she had spotted us among the crowd in the arrivals terminal, darting towards us, dropping her suitcase and throwing her arms around my neck. Unfortunately it also meant that we toppled over so we ended up on the floor.

"Clumsy as always!" I laughed as we sat up, Sky grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry dudette, but its been WAAAAAAY to long!"

"I know, I know,"

We got up, ignoring the stares we were getting.

What is it with people and staring?

"Hey Aria!"

"Hey Blue, how was the flight?"

"Ohhhh, I sat next to a cute guy! You should've seen him, real hottie. Hey Sandy, he would've been your type!"

I grinned, "Sorry babe, I'm taken,"

"REALLY? FOR REAL?"

Funny, you'd think she would congratulate me.

Then again, this is Blue we're talking about.

"Uh huh,"

"Its _serious_," Holly grinned knowingly.

"Wow," Sky stood there staring at me admiration. "Didn't think you had the commitment in you,"

"She doesn't," Holly rolled her eyes.

Well thank you very much sister mine!

"Look who's talking!" I shot back at her.

Her face flushed red and she glared at me.

"Did I miss something?"

"You've missed a hell of a lot Blue,"

* * *

The music was loud. The lights flashed and changed colours. People swayed and danced to the heavy beat of the music. Others yelled out orders at the bar, or sat at tables chatting, laughing and watching. 

It was heavenly.

To me anyway.

"Hey, check out the redhead!" Sky whistled, staring at said redhead standing at the bar.

"That's one of the twins!" I laughed, "I can't tell which one from here!"

"I'm not surprised," Johnny added, "Not many people can tell them apart anyway!"

Laughing, I looked around. We had been here for an hour and soon we were going to have to play. Holly was dancing with Ray, Max and Kara were happily snogging in a corner and Mirror was at the bar, flirting with the cute barman.

"Hey guys!" greeted one of the twins. The other was still at the bar.

"Hey, you're…Fred!" I grinned triumphantly.

"Right in one," Fred grinned, taking a swig from his beer bottle.

"What's up with them?" Sky asked, gesturing towards Tala and Mariam who were arguing heatedly. Mariah was laughing hysterically at them.

"Mariam is still pissed about Tala 'accidentally' pushing her into the pool coupla nights ago," Destiny supplied, downing her tequila. She shivered at the taste.

"I don't think you should be drinking," I told her.

"Why!"

"Cos you can't hold your drink very well!"

"WHAT!"

"Its true!"

"Why you-"

"AHEM!"

We looked blankly at Sky.

She simply pointed towards the entrance. "Please tell me you know that guy!"

Huh…?

Oh.

Oh shit.

"HIM!" Johnny spat, jumping up.

"Wait!" I yelled, grabbing Johnny. "Wait, just let Mirror work her magic, okay?"

That him?

Only happens to be Kai.

* * *

Okay, Kai is FINALLY back! I'm sure you've all been wondering where he's been but I'll explain that in the next chappie.

Here's some replies to the reviews, which I haven't done in ages!

**Wind Archer:** _Thanx, and sorry about the wait!  
_**  
Rampant Chaos: **_Details...(jots down on notebook) Thanx!  
_**  
Tikytikytavvi101: **_Thanx!  
_**  
Truble: **_Thanx, miss i can't be bothered to write much! Jokes, get working on your fic!  
_**  
eMiLy06: **_Thanx, Iknow whatmean about never being able to find a decent romance/humour fic nowadays!  
_**  
Krytos**_: Thanx, although about Kai notbeing prankable (is that a word?)...well, we'll see yeah?_

**Thunderstorm Blader**_: Thanx for taking the time toreview, even if it was with one hand!_

**XxKaosxX**_: Loving the MartialArts myself. Actually, itwas more of a spur of the moment thing, but hey, who cares?_

**Beyblade-gal**_: I know, I'm sorry! I don't even have a decent escuse as to whyI took so long to update...but thanxfor readin this fic seventy five times anyway. Nice to know some people love it._

**ariotlatio**_: Hope you enjoyed this chappie! Thanx for reviewing!_

**-Dark Pheonix Angel Nami**_-:Thanx. Love the name._

**hamstertai**_: Two words: Thank you_.

**xInfernal**_: Max and Kara fluff coming soon! Well, I've got plans for those two anyway._

Thats a lot of people! Me so HAPPY! (wipes tears away) Anyway,thanx for reviewing and please do so again! I wanna reach a hundred reviews!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	17. Sleep Deprived

**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Seventeen: Sleep Deprived**

His eyebrow twitched.

Which of course means that he was getting impatient and very angry.

It's only been five minutes since Kai walked in! Honestly!

"I want to dance,"

"Go dance then,"

Sky pouted and Holly rolled her eyes.

This is totally ridiculous!

"FINE!" I half-yelled, jumping up and startling everyone sitting at our table. Grabbing my purse, I made my way across the dance floor to Mirror, who was still flirting with the barman but was shooting Kai glances, who sat just down the bar and was nursing a beer. He obviously hadn't noticed us.

"Mi,"

"Cass," Mirror greeted, shooting the barman a flirty grin, "Get my friend a WKD please,"

"Comin' right up,"

The barman disappeared and Mi scowled.

"I don't know!" she wailed.

I sighed. Typical. "Mi, this is very important,"

"I know that!"

Pause.

"Talk to him," Mirror stated, her cherry coloured eyes dancing.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Mi, I have a very annoyed boyfriend just across the room,"

Talk about stating the obvious.

"So?"

I always wondered if it was safe to let Mirror run around freely. Didn't her dad notice she's a complete maniac? Seriously. She's nuts. Major.

"Okay, okay," I laughed, and Mi grinned at me, obviously delighted.

"Watch out Kai Hiwatari!" she quipped, flashing another flirty grin at the barman. He responded with a charming smile.

"Keep the others out of it," I warned, winking at Nick who was caught my eye, while dancing with a blonde. He smirked.

I took a deep steadying breath and approached the auburn-eyed boy who had nearly wrecked my relationship.

God, I know I technically don't believe in you, but if you ARE out there watching in amusement and eating popcorn, could you send me a nice big fat dollop of LUCK?

I slipped into the seat next to him.

Silence.

And then-

"Hey Kai,"

Oh…oh…hahahahaha! God! That's just FUNNY!

"_WILLOW!" _

Kai turned and glared at me half-heartedly as I let out random giggles while stuffing my fist into my mouth. A drop of beer fell from his bangs and splashed onto his shirt.

Ha…ha…ha…

"Don't creep up on me like that!" Kai scolded, trying to fight against the grin tugging on his lips. My shoulders shook with suppressed laughter as I took in his soaked hair and even more soaked shirt.

THANK YOU GOD!

"What are you doing here anyway?"

I bit my lip for a second, trying to control my laughter. "We're playing -ha ha- today…"

Kai rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean that. I…I thought you would be too…"

The laughter disappeared in a split second.

"Angry to speak to you?" I suggested quietly.

"Yeah," he sighed, eyes downcast.

"Where have you been Kai?" I asked.

"Russia. Grandfather was holding a convention there, and me being the oldest and only son, I had to attend…nearly had a heart attack when he saw my face…"

"Oh,"

"You're angry at me aren't you?" Kai muttered after a moment of silence.

I looked at him, soaked to the bone with beer and multi-coloured lights flashing across his face, intense auburn eyes locking into my forest green ones.

"Yes,"

The truth is a very powerful thing.

I think.

"I'm sorry,"

I blinked.

Now that's NOT what I expected. Kai Hiwatari does not apologise. For anything. I didn't even think he KNEW the word 'sorry'.

"I mean it Akira…what I did was completely stupid and I'm sorry. I was just angry, cos I'm not used to people telling me what to do, well, other than Grandfather and Kara, but they're family, it's a completely different story, and well, you practically wrecked mine and Amber's relationship even though you were technically doing me a favour and I guess I was just angry, and I'm sorry for lashing out like that, especially since you and Johnny were so happy together and I had no reason to try and destroy that…"

"Jesus Kai!" I exclaimed, laughter bubbling up again, "Quit rambling!"

He blinked.

And I burst out laughing.

"Ha ha…don't…ha ha…ramble…ha…doesn't…suit…ha ha…you…ha ha…!"

This is not going how I expected. At all.

Ohhhh, all the others are staring at me know. Although, technically I'm meant to be mad at him, not laughing my head off.

Kai grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his dripping hair.

"You forgive me?" he asked hopefully.

That moment was a turning point, the moment we became friends again, and at that moment all I wanted to do was hug him close and never let go but I couldn't, because my friends were hell bent on making him pay. And at that moment I felt sick, sick that I was really going to set Mirror on him, play on his feelings and turn them against him.

"Kai…you have to understand that I can never forgive until I get you back, until everyone else gets you back…"

Oh God Willow, what are you doing?

"But after that, it'll be over, okay? And we'll be friends, like we're meant to be. We'll hang out and play Halo like we used to…"

"I understand," Kai smiled reassuringly.

"Good," I sighed, standing up, "And Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry,"

Sorry for what's about to happen…

* * *

"OI!"

"OWW!"

"Watch that CAR!"

Sky stumbled backwards into Nick's arms, narrowly avoiding the car that came careening down the road at dangerous speeds. The driver looked drunk. Which is just typical.

"That…was close," Nick mumbled, clutching a very drunk Sky in his arms.

Come to think about it, we're all pretty drunk. And standing just outside the club.

At one in the morning.

And I have to get up at five and all.

Damn!

Master Takashi is officially going to kill me. And Jamie is just going to annoy me to death. Hmm, double death. Does that sound a little extreme to you?

"Ya know, Sky, I don't think your clumsiness gets any better when your drunk," I stated as if it was some brilliant observation that no one else had made. Of course, I then ruined the whole thing and slipped on an imaginary rock and landed hard on my bum.

Not good.

"Bloody hell Cass," Johnny muttered, "Maybe you should just avoid walking all together,"

"Yeah, maybe I should float!"

Note the fact there is NO sarcasm.

I am SO out of it.

"What, like this?" Johnny grinned, picking me up and giving me a piggy back ride.

"WHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Oh God. I've lost it.

"Oh fuck, I think I'm gonna throw up," Kara groaned, stumbling into a side alley and promptly emptying her stomach into a bin. Max stood over her, rubbing her back soothingly.

"You all right there babe?" Mariah called over, leaning heavily on Michael and squinting uncertainly at Kara and Max.

"Urgh…yeah…"

She threw up again.

"TAXI! TAXIIIIIII!" Holly screamed at the car turning at the corner, jumping up and down like a maniac. It pulled up beside us. Surprisingly.

"Okay, Max, Kara, Kai, Michael, Sky, Destiny, Holly and me can take the taxi. The rest of us are in walking distance right? And Cass can go with Johnny," Mariah said, seeming the most sober out of all of us.

"YAY!" I squealed.

"…okay Cass…how many tequilas did you have?" Kai demanded.

"Eh, two?"

"…"

"She had three…four…no, it was seven," Holly declared with a giggle.

Everyone sweat dropped.

"Bad Cass," Mirror scolded, before biting her lip and burying her head in Kai's shoulder as she burst out laughing.

Johnny suddenly put me down clumsily, blinking furiously.

"Whoa, make it stop!"

I gave him an odd look.

"World spinning…hey, there's two of you!"

"Really!" I squealed, spinning around in a circle as attempted to find the other me. I ended up falling over again, only to have Nick catch me.

"MY HERO!" I yelled, flinging my arms around him. "Thanks Nick!"

"Its Fred, actually,"

"Whoops, sorry Freddie!"

Mariah rolled her eyes. "Lets go guys," she declared, and I waved good bye to everyone climbing into taxi.

"Get home safe," Fred and Nick chorused as they set off as well.

"Laters guys," Mirror grinned, whistling cheerfully as she took off too.

Suddenly it was just Johnny and me.

"The world hasn't stopped spinning ya know,"

Why do I get the feeling that this isn't gonna be an easy walk home?

* * *

"Is it just me or are there pixies making faces at me?"

"Its just you," I assured my redheaded boyfriend, shifting under his weight. It was safe to say that Johnny just could not walk by himself without landing flat on his face.

I peered into the loom of The McGregors' huge entrance hall. My arm around Johnny's waist tightened as he stumbled slightly, trying to walk to the marble stairs.

"Now Johnny, you have to be very quiet because we don't wanna wake your parents up," I said as sternly as possible for someone only semi-sober.

Basically, it didn't sound stern at all.

"I'm serious, Willow, there are pixies making faces at me!" Johnny exclaimed loudly, completely disregarding what I had just said.

I cringed.

"Yes okay, the pixies are making faces to you. How about we go upstairs and see if they go away?" I suggested.

"Pixies? Always thought he had an over active imagination when he was younger,"

Oh.

_Oh_.

Umm…crap?

"Uh, hi Mrs McGregor," I greeted the woman standing at the top of the marble staircase. She descended gracefully, smiling reassuringly.

"Hi honey, long time no see,"

Sometimes I thank the lord that Tanya Reiko McGregor is the coolest mom there is.

"Well, I've been a bit busy Mrs McGregor," I mumbled, fighting away a blush and struggling to keep Johnny upright.

"Honey, you and I both know that you are supposed to call me Anya, remember?" Anya grinned, moving over to her son and wrapping an arm around him, taking some of the weight off me. "Now lets get this boy off to bed, shall we?"

"Mom, there's pixies hiding behind the pot plant," Johnny whined.

Anya raised a delicately plucked eyebrow.

"Kiddo, I can say right now that if Willow thinks there aren't any pixies, then there aren't,"

"But…"

"Don't you believe your own girlfriend?"

He promptly shut up.

Ha! Take that…wait a sec…

"How…wha…!"

"Honestly, Lils, give me a little more credit. You think I didn't notice the goofy smile on his face he came home with a few months ago? And the fact I seem to see you sleeping peacefully next him a lot?"

My cheeks flared crimson.

Not many people know that the reason Johnny calls me Lils is because basically all his family does. Anya came up with it the moment she met me.

But that's beside the point.

God, this is embarrassing!

I swear, this night is starting to prove to have more surprises than expected. All I was planning to do was perform! Then Kai walks in, I forgive him and yet still set Mirror on him (bloody hell), get drunk, Sky nearly gets run over and managed to develop a crush on Nick through the night (sheesh girl!), and after that I managed to get a very intoxicated Johnny home (WOW!) and then manage to wake up Anya, who it turns out know all about me and Johnny…what next? There really are pixies hiding behind the pot plant?

I wouldn't past them. Tricky little things, pixies are. Especially Cornish ones. Just looked what happened in Harry Potter!

Finally, we let Johnny fall onto his bed, already asleep.

Bastard.

Allowed to sleep. I have to get up at FIVE IN THE MORNING!

"Honey, are you tired?" Anya asked softly.

I yawned widely.

"Yeah," I said, stating the obvious, "But I have the feeling if I go to sleep I'll never be able to get up at five,"

"Five?" Anya said incredulously, looking at me as if I was mad. Which, I am. Of course.

I looked longingly at the squishy four-poster bed Johnny was peacefully dozing on.

Someone kill me.

Now.

"Martial Arts," I explained, stifling another yawn.

"Willow Tate, you and I are going to have to catch up. And there's never a better time than the present,"

I stared wide-eyed at Anya as she dragged me out of Johnny's room. I threw one last longing look at that welcoming bed and resigned myself to the fact that there would be no getting sleep for the next twenty four hours.

Jamie had better watch out in the morning.

Cos I'm definitely gonna be cranky.

* * *

"Lils!"

I rolled over, disgruntled.

"Lils Lils Lils Lils!"

What the fuck?

Who the hell is singing my name in my ear?

Scratch that, sounds like they're screaming.

"Lils, its quarter past five! Mommy said you have to get up!"

Mommy?

Huh?

Quarter past five?

So?

Most people would be asleep!

Quarter past five…why do get the feeling that I am the one soul that MEANT to be awake?

OH SHIT!

I bolted upright, causing the short girl beside me to let out a squeal.

"Hey Lils," grinned the girl. She had red hair pulled back into two plaits and looked about eleven years old.

"Hey Jessie," I smiled at Johnny's little sister. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I have a school trip!" she said proudly, her blue eyes wide with anticipation.

"And you couldn't sleep?" I said knowingly, swinging my legs off the sofa I had fallen asleep on only an hour ago.

"Yeah!" she grinned up at me, her arms encircling my waist as soon as I had stood up. "Are you gonna be here when I get back?"

"How long are you going on the trip for?" I asked, hugging her back. Anya was nowhere to be seen.

"Two days!"

"Wow, that's a long time!"

"I know!"

"Okay, I'll be here waiting with your brother,"

"Promise?" Jessie said with even wider blue eyes.

"Promise." I confirmed.

She grinned at me.

Why can't I have a little sister?

Nothing against Holly or anything.

* * *

"HEY SANDY!"

I glared at the nineteen year old as I just walked straight past him.

"Whoa, no hello? Not even for poor little ex boyfriend Jamie?"

Silence.

"Aww, c'mon, I haven't even done anything!"

Yet.

"That must be some PMS,"

I whirled around and tackled him.

"THAT'S BETTER!"

I punched him.

Hard.

Jamie grinned goofily up at me, as I sat on his stomach. He seemed completely unconcerned that I had just hit him and there would a bruise on his stomach by tomorrow.

"Feel better?"

I threw him a death glare.

He smirked.

"For your information, I'm not PMSing," I said tightly.

"Of course not," Jamie agreed.

I tried another death glare, which was rudely interrupted by a yawn.

"Poor poor Sandy," Jamie said, not as arrogantly this time. He sat up, shifting me onto his lap.

I didn't bother protesting.

"Sky's visiting," I mumbled.

"Really?" Jamie grinned.

"Uh huh," I nodded, feeling my body losing to the fight of staying awake. "She's got a crush on Nick and everything,"

"Hasn't changed much," Jamie noted dryly.

His arms encircled my waist and I let my head drop onto his chest.

"We'll hang out after school…and it'll be just like back in America…"

At that point, ironically, I fell asleep in his arms.

Typical.

* * *

Technically I've been banned from the comp for a week so I'll make this brief in fear of being caught by my mum.

Thanx for reviewing.

Sorry it took so long for me to update.

Please review.

And i HAVE to go.

So ciao

Chiya


	18. Meet Phoenix, The Guardian Angel

HEY GUYS! YES, I AM BACK! WITH A NEW CHAPTER!

Okay, I know that was a little mad of me...and yes I am VERY sorry I always keep you waiting. In fact, I promise that I shall have the next chapter up by next Sunday. I swear it.

AND THANX TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!

Anyways, I'd like to announce that moi, Chiya, has work experience for the next two weeks! The first week I'm doing a project in a company, where me and my mates are gonna actually create a website. Okay, sounds great and all butI have to wear SMART CLOTHES! I swear, til now I've never even owned black trousers. Its all baggy jeans for me. Luckily the second week is in the backstage of a theatre and I can wearwhatever I like. YAY! Uh, anyways, I reckon I'll just stop rambling and let you read, huh?

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade...blah blah blah...

ENJOY!

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* * *

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**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Eighteen: Meet Phoenix, The Guardian Angel**

In a way, I had always known there would an end to my quite happy lifestyle. Something was bound to happen. It always was that way. It's the rules of life.

And yet, me being completely naïve, I refused to foresee it.

Did I really expect to live happily ever after with Johnny?

Did I really expect to watch Holly balance two boys continuously?

Did I really expect everything to go my way?

Not really.

But that never stopped me.

Life is a roller coaster. And there will always be the downfalls waiting right after the sheer heights.

My name is Willow Tate.

I am one hundred percent human.

And as a result, I make mistakes.

* * *

"Hang on, wait up!"

I rolled my eyes, balancing easily on the branch and grabbing Mirror's hand. Hauling her up and then straightening, I peered at the house looming in front of us.

"Big huh?" Mirror smirked, holding a video recorder in one hand.

"Seen bigger," I shrugged.

"Don't tell me…"

"Tala's!" Mirror and me said at the same time, Mi laughing quietly.

Seriously though, Tala practically owns a fucking mansion!

"What are you guys trying to do anyway?" Destiny called up from the ground, two storeys below us.

"We're getting dirt," Mirror explained, setting up the video recorder and pointing it towards the window with a light on.

"On who?"

"Miguel of course," I smirked, as I spotted the said blonde walking around his room.

"Bloody hell, I can't see ANYTHING," Mirror cursed.

"Zoom in then!" I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh yeah," Mi grinned sheepishly.

"Hey, Willow, check this out…"

"Wha- oh,"

"That was not there last time I was there," Mirror choked out.

Needless to say, when boys have cardboard cutouts of Britney Spears, you know you should NOT have dated them.

"Oh my God, what is he _doing_!"

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, EW!"

"That's gotta be the smallest dick I've ever seen,"

"Mirror!"

"What!"

Mirror pulled the 'innocent' face. Only, it doesn't tend to work when you've got this massive grin plastered all over your face.

"Exactly how many dicks have you seen?"

Mi smirked, "That's for me to know and you NEVER to find out,"

I pouted, "Spoil sport,"

"What's he doing now?" Mi asked since I now was in possession of the camera.

I pulled a face, "Wanking off to Britney Spears…how he managed to be turned on by a moulding piece of cardboard I have no idea, especially since its _Britney Spears_…"

"How the hell did I manage to go out with that thing?" Mirror said with a disgusted look.

"Fuck, you are right, that's gotta be the smallest dick _I've _ever seen!"

"That coming for you, its gotta be small!" Mirror laughed.

"HEY!"

"Oh sorry, I completely _forgot_ your all miss committed now," Mi said with a grin.

"What the hell has Ozuma been telling you?" I sniffed, trying and, of course, failing to look affronted.

"Things that I'm sure are not true," Mirror said with a serious face, patting me on the shoulder.

"Bloody patronising you are," I snarled in mock anger, turning back to Miguel.

"He's finished wanking,"

"Naaaaaah, you don't say!"

I rolled my eyes.

"And out comes Mr Sparkles!" Mirror said with a flourish, accompanied with a triumphant grin.

Ah, the reason we came here in the first place…Mr Sparkles, Miguel's stuffed, slightly worn out, purple dragon.

Remember when I first met Mirror? She was arguing with her now ex-boyfriend, none other than Miguel Inoyez. She mentioned something about him sleeping with a teddy bear; well that's Mr Sparkles.

This is technically our pay back time. Capture a few shots of him with Mr. S. and send it to everyone and anyone by email. No problem.

Miguel Inoyez sleeps with a stuffed dragon.

A fucking dragon.

They don't even _exist_.

Or at least, I think so.

Imagine if dragons actually existed! Hey, that _would_ be cool! I would so get one as a pet and make it breathe fire on Amber's hair…oh, the look on her face…

Ahem.

Anyways.

"Willow!" Mirror hissed in delight, bouncing up and down. She had this really concerning gleam in her cherry eyes, concerning because when she gets that kinda gleam then she's thought up some plan that'll probably get us into deep shit…or scare the hell outta us with the closeness we come to being in deep shit anyway…

Someone get me a bomb shelter.

"Mirror…please, please, please, don't…"

"Lets steal Mr Sparkles!"

Silence.

Somewhere far far away a cricket…well, cricketed I suppose.

And much closer to home Mirror Chang was dementedly grinning like two demented things.

Suddenly I'm wishing I never woke up this afternoon.

"You're joking,"

"Nope,"

"You're insane,"

"Yup,"

I officially declare that Mirror Chang is mentally unstable and remains a danger to the wider population, including yours truly so GET HER OUTTA HERE!

"Mirror," I sighed, "If we break in and get caught by the police it'll break my Dad's heart. Fucking up in school is one thing but being arrested is something else entirely,"

Mirror's demented grin faded, _THANKFULLY_. Seriousness spread across her facial features like wild fire. Whoa, weird!

"Okay, sorry Cass. I know how much you love your Dad,"

I smiled, "However, Mi, that'll only happen if we get caught. And you're looking at a pro at the arts of stealth,"

The demented grin was back.

Then again, I was wearing one myself, so who am I to complain?

"Watch that…!"

* * *

"Argh! Shit!"

"_Mirror!" _

"Whoa, that was close,"

"No shit fuzzhead,"

"_FUZZHEAD?"_

"Keep it down!"

"Okay okay…fuzzhead?"

"I dunno, it seemed funny in my mind,"

Mirror rolled her eyes, glancing back at the vase she had nearly tripped over.

"How do we even he's asleep?" I hissed at Mirror, grabbing her and pulling her away from what was a potential disaster had she continued walking towards the stairs in the dark. Honesty, klutz or what?

"Cos he would've heard us by now if he was awake," Mirror shrugged.

"I guess," I sighed, peering around in the dark. I could make out a door to my right. "Its this one right?"

"Yeah, that's the one. You or me?"

I looked at Mirror for a split second.

"Fuzzhead…Mirror…maybe I should go? Cos, y'know--"

"I'm a complete klutz and would somehow manage to bring the whole house down? Yeah I know," Mirror interrupted, grinning.

Well, at least I don't have to worry about her going off in a strop with me.

I grinned back and pushed the door open very very slowly, peering around the edge. I could see Miguel snoozing happily in his bed, clutching Mr Sparkles to his chest. Seeing this as a sign to continue, I slowly tip toed my way towards his bed, which, can you believe it, was all the over on the opposite side of the room.

Did I really believe I was going to get there and back without a single hitch?

Of course, cos right then I pulled a Mirror and tripped over a stray trainer, THENmy training kicked in and I flipped to avoid falling on my butt, only to land unhelpfully on the edge of the bed, delicately balancing on the very edge of the mattress and every second slipping.

So I took a VERY small step forwards, trying to avoid any bits that belonged to the body of Miguel Inoyez.

I didn't mean THOSE kinda bits! GET YOUR HEAD OUTTA THE GUTTERS!

ANYWAYS! Then I bent over in attempt to wrestle Mr Sparkles from Miguel's grip, who was facing away from me.

This is the point, ironically, that he rolled over and wrapped his arms around my foot.

Oh God help me.

This is not my day.

And what does Mirror do? She laughs! Honestly, the friends I have!

Right, lets gets this freak **_OFF_** me.

Leaning down again and plucking Mr Sparkles neatly out of his arms, before chucking it over my shoulder for me to pick up once I got out of there. Then I attempted to get my foot out of Miguel's grip only to have him tighten his hold on me.

I'm starting to wish my foot was smelly. At least then he wouldn't be hugging it.

And yet Mirror continues to laugh.

Rather quietly, I admit, but STILL!

Okay.

_Okay._ This shouldn't be a problem. Not at all. Maybe for someone like, oh I dunno, _cough-Mirror-cough_, but not for me, nuh uh…

Erm, please let go of my foot?

Please?

Oh, who am I kidding!

I yanked my foot. Hard.

At the same time he let go of my foot, rolling over again.

THUMP!

And I tripped and landed, unlike last time, hard on my butt.

And what happens next? Yup, you got it!

MIGUEL WOKE UP!

Okay, don't panic don't panic, get up, yes that's it get up, Miguel's still sleepy you could bluff this out, c'mon, where's your creativity Willow, think of something, anything, bloody hell, Mirror is so dead after this, ohhh, what can I do, he's not going buy any excuse that I make up, I'm in his room for Christ's sake, no no no, you can't give up Willow, c'mon THINK!

"Huh? W-who are you?" Miguel blinked sleepily, yawning.

I took full advantage of the fact it was dark and he definitely couldn't see my face. Y'know, going on the fact I had my hood up.

"I," I started, my voice airy and cold at the same time, "I am your guardian angel,"

Yes, that's the best my useless mind can up with right now.

"Guardian angel?" Miguel muttered, looking confused. "I have a guardian angel?"

Oh. My. God.

He's buying it! He's actually BUYING IT!

"Yes, Miguel Inoyez. Every sole being has a guardian angel. I am yours. You may call me…uh…"

Think, Willow, think!

"Phoenix,"

Well, what can I say? I've always liked the name Phoenix.

"Phoenix? Uh, okay," Miguel shrugged. "Any reason you're here?"

Oh Jesus, what is this? Twenty Questions?

"Beware of…the…cats!"

This is getting really weird.

"Cats?"

"Yes, upon meeting black cats within the next week you will suffer from…great…trauma…"

"Um, thanks Phoenix, I'll keep that in mind,"

"Very good. I must be off to do my guardian angel thing. Goodbye!"

"Bye Phoenix!"

Needless to say, I ran outta there as fast as I could. Not without grabbing Mr Sparkles first though.

Mirror was cackling by the time we had met up with Dest again.

"Oh my God Willow, guardian angel! Brilliant!"

"What happened?" Destiny frowned.

"Meet Phoenix, Miguel's guardian angel!" Mirror said promptly, and then collapsed into laughter once again.

"And you know the best thing?"

"What?" Destiny asked wearily.

"I CAUGHT IT ALL ON TAPE!"

God help me.

* * *

Of course, the next day everyone was buzzing about the email and the fact that Mr Sparkles was currently in my possession.

Even Kai was downright impressed.

"Miguel is gonna have something to say about this," Max snickered, while Kara just laughed her head off in his arms.

And now EVERYONE is calling me Phoenix! I mean, what is THAT about?

"Bring him on," I smirked at my brother, before squealing as Johnny suddenly picked me up and twirled me around.

"Well, little Phoenix, what _are_ you planning to do to Sparkles?" Johnny asked with a grin.

"Actually, its _Mister_ Sparkles," Mirror said smugly, her hand in Kai's.

I'd almost say that was sweet if I hadn't known she was stringing him along.

I grinned, "No idea. What d'you think about dying him pink?"

"Sounds tempting," Destiny admitted. Everyone knows Dest is the queen of any fabric. Give her a rag and she'll make a stylish dress. "Hey Phoenix, let me work my magic on Sparkles…please, please please?"

"What you begging for? Have fun with the dragon!" I smirked, producing the stuffed toy and tossing it to Dest. She squealed and began bouncing up and down.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell anyone you were doing this," Sky said, looking distinctly proud. Which was nothing compared to the way Nick and Fred had began singing praises and hugging the hell out of me earlier on.

"Eh, this was personal," Mirror shrugged.

"Yeah, Dest only came along cos she was the only one we could trust to be quiet and actually keep a look out,"

Destiny sniffed, pretending to look teary eyed, "Thank you guys,"

"No problem!" we chorused.

Johnny suddenly tugged on my arm. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

I gave him a confused look.

"Sure. We'll be right back guys!"

Johnny grabbed my hand and led me towards the big oak tree in the secluded area of the school grounds.

And then…silence.

I'm getting some really bad déjà vu here. Back then I ended up in tears, but I guess the results were good. In a way. I think.

Erm, Johnny?

Heeeellloooooo?

As if he had actually heard me, Johnny sighed and hugged me.

Which was completely random, but hey, who am I complaining?

"Willow…"

"What?" I asked, my voice muffled as I was leaning against his chest.

"I…well, there's no easy way to say this…"

Okay…okay…why does he sound like…

Oh.

_Oh._

Oh no. No no no no. This is NOT happening. He is NOT GONNA BREAK UP WITH ME NOW!

"So I guess I'll take the simplest way of saying this…"

I swear if he says 'I'm breaking up with you' I am going to scream. Well, actually, I probably would just stand there in complete shock, and then Johnny would ask 'Are you okay?' cos like it or not he's still my best friend, so he does _care _about me just not in the way I care about him, and then I would nod blankly, mutter something about needing to find Holly and then—

"I'm in love with you,"

The whole world exploded.

* * *

YES! FINALLY, JOHNNY HAS ADMITTED IT! HA HA!

Uh, now that I've gone insane _again_, I'll just ask you to press that bluey purplish button thingy and leave a very nice review. Or any kind of review. Just a review. Yeah.

Remember, next Sunday the next chappie WILL be up!

REVIEW!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	19. Apples and Jackal

Heya! Well, I promised you another chapter on Sunday so here it is! I've been working my butt off to get this finished on time, so even if it is nearly ten here and I still have to do the washing up AND eat my apple, I'll just be nice and update first.

Disclaimer: I only own MY characters and the plot, nothing else. Oh, and Mr Sparkles. Gotta keep the purple dragon dudes. Lol.

ENJOY AND REVIEW!

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**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Nineteen: Apples and Jackal**

If someone had come up to me a year ago and told me that I would be madly deeply in love with Johnny McGregor in the near future then I would've told them to get their heads checked in the nearest hospital. That, or burst out laughing, and remain cackling for the rest of the day, which would be the cue for Kara's daily 'You belong in a loony bin' comment.

Needless to say, I am madly deeply in love with Johnny McGregor.

You know what makes it weirder?

He loves me back.

I am completely serious.

_Willow Tate and Johnny McGregor, both players, are in love. With each other._

Honestly, someone up there sure loves screwing things around.

"Willow, you have a completely horrible goofy look on your face," Kara said coolly, sipping her coke.

I attempted to glare at her and failed miserably.

Heh, life moves on.

"So?" I managed to shoot at her.

"Just saying," Kara shrugged, as we sat waiting for everyone else in the cafeteria.

Silence.

I waited.

And waited.

And then-

"Johnny admitted it, didn't he?"

I KNEW IT! I swear this girl knows me back to front!

"Yeah," I said with another horrible goofy grin. Who could blame me anyway? I have a seriously hot player IN LOVE WITH ME. "How did you know anyway?"

Kara grinned her all knowing grin, "Duh. I looked exactly the same way for a whole week after Max told me he was in love with me,"

Ohhhh yeah. I remember that week. Max was more often in Kara land then he was at home. And don't even get me started on _Kara._ Sheesh.

"MAD! ALL MAD I TELL YOU! COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY MAD!"

Errr…?

Oh look, its Fuzzhead back from the Universe of Snogging Kai Hiwatari In The Broom Closet.

And she's shrieking something about being mad.

I think.

Mirror Chang is completely incomprehensible.

For you dumb people out there, it means no one can understand her.

Not saying your dumb or anything. Although that is EXACTLY what I said, but that's not really…oh, never mind.

Er, yeah.

"What's mad?" I asked as Mi sat down next to me. She immediately stole my apple. "MY APPLE! MINE! EVIL! _EVIL!_"

"ARRRRRGH!" She yelled as I tackled her.

"Oh God," Kara quietly groaned.

We promptly ignored her.

"YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE RED APPLES! YOU LIKE GREEN APPLES!"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! YOU STOLE MY APPLE!"

At that point, we both fell off the bench, me still attempting to wrestle my apple back.

And everyone was staring at us.

Which is funny, cos we weren't even doing that much. Just wrestling over an apple on the cafeteria floor. That's normal right?

"DIE EVIL FUZZHEAD!"

"IN YOUR DREAMS APPLE LOVER!"

Then came the pivotal moment. The apple was thrown, courtesy of our resident Fuzzhead, over our heads and smashed against the table, spraying everyone in apple bits.

Well, I suppose we don't have to worry about there not being any apple sauce.

"MY TOP!" I heard a wail that could only come from none other than Fashion Disaster.

We looked at each other, before peering over the table top, ready to duck again just in case. We spotted Amber covered in more apple bits than US, which is saying a lot, since we're absolutely soaked in the stuff.

And she looked like she was just about to explode.

"YOU!" she shrieked, pointing at us.

"Which one?" we chorused with identical smirks.

I swear that Amber actually growled. Picking up her plate of spaghetti bolognaise, she flung it in our direction.

We ducked.

SPLAT!

Oh.

Whoops.

Erm, sorry Kara?

"BLOODY HELL! THIS MEANS WAR BITCH!"

Or no apology needed…

Kara, covered in bits of spaghetti, stomped over to Amber who seemed completely frozen. And rapidly smashed a whole apricot pie into her face.

"GO KARA!"

"ROCK ON BABE!"

And so the food fight began.

I hastily snatched all the fruit on the table and grabbed a bowl, only two minutes later. Mashing the whole load up while crouched behind a now overturned table as our defence, Mirror continuously shot off pieces of random food that was piled up next to her. She was already covered in apple bits, lemon cheesecake and err…what vaguely looked like broccoli. I think.

"Done," I said triumphantly, holding the bowl up. Mirror grinned, and ducked as another apple whizzed over our head and smashed against the wall, spraying us in MORE apple bits.

Bloody hell, what is up with the apples already?

"Goodie! Ready?"

"Yeah, on three,"

We're homicidal, I'm telling ya.

"One…"

"Two…"

"THREE!" we yelled together as we both jumped up and leapt from our cover. Streaking through the chaos and attempting and of course failing to avoid flying food, we reached where Amber and Kane were cowering.

Smirking evilly, we dumped the contents of the bowl on top of their heads.

The results were rather pleasing, I have to say.

Amber screamed as the gooey yucky stuff slid all over her hair and face, covering and probably effectively destroying her clothes.

And Kane?

Well, that was just plain funny.

He, er, began running around in circles yelling at the top of voice. The only thing I caught was 'in my eyes'.

"WE ROCK!" We yelled triumphantly.

It was then, of course, that Melody Summers dumped a load of melted chocolate on my head.

And they say what goes around comes around.

WHY!

_WHY ME?_

NO FAIR!

Huh.

And once again, Mirror just laughs. Only after shoving a strawberry cheesecake in Melody's face though. Which was nice of her.

But STILL!

"I guess that's two of us then," Kara deadpanned, and we turned to see her soaked in ice cream.

"DUCK!"

We ducked.

And yet another apple came flying over our heads.

Sheesh.

Of course, the food fight hadn't stopped just because Kara and me were hit. In fact, nearly everyone was throwing food and mixtures of stuff that I really DON'T want to know about.

"YAAAAAARRRRRHHHHH!" a sophomore guy yelled as he ran past me, seemingly on a warpath. Or something.

"CASS!"

I whirled around to see the twins sprinting towards us, leaping behind the overturned table we were hiding behind and tackling me in a huge hug.

"Jesus, guys, its only been an hour since I saw you!"

Fred sniffled, "Well, next time we won't show you how much we love you,"

"Yeah," Nick added, "In fact, we will refrain from all contact,"

"And proclaim that our love has been vanished into thin air," Fred exclaimed, waving his arms around wildly, before covering his head with them as an orange came whizzing past.

I snickered, "You guys…"

"NO!" Nick yelled dramatically, "Do not say anything that will make this harder for me!"

"Hang on," Fred interrupted, "Who says this is harder for you than it is for me?"

I bit my thumb in an attempt to keep myself from bursting out laughing, which trust me when I say it isn't easy.

"Well, its obvious I loved her more than you did,"

"Obvious? Like hell!"

"I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!" I yelled, effectively interrupting their little show and tackling them both in a hug.

"SEE! IT WORKED!" Nick yelled triumphantly.

"What?" I said incredulously.

"You, my dear Cass, have a flaw," Fred announced, briefly ducking as some spaghetti bolognaise flew over our heads.

"A _flaw_?"

What on earth are they banging on about?

"Yep!"

Have they finally snapped or something? I knew constantly being together was screwing with their heads!

Nick said, "You see, you have this thing where you don't like people thinking really bad of you when it isn't true,"

It seems ironic that I had that conversation in the middle of a food fight. Serious yet light hearted, mixed in with insanity. Although I didn't know it then, that conversation was a sign: a sign warning me of what would happen the next day…or night I suppose. And everything that would happen after it.

"Are you mad?" I asked incredulously, pushing the both of them down to avoid another flying object.

"Nope," they chorused.

And at that moment the others joined us, including Johnny, who was positively beaming at the mess around us, and Holly, who was definitely disapproving of the whole thing.

And I forgot about that conversation.

"WILLOW TATE AND MIRROR CHANG!"

Which was just as well, since I had other things to worry about. Like the fact Jackal, or Mrs Jackson our lovely (erlack!) headmistress to most had just walked in.

And had discovered who had started the fight in the first place.

Bugger.

* * *

"So what's the verdict?" Kai asked as me and Mi FINALLY rushed out of Jackal's office. Kai, along with his sister, my brother and my boyfriend (!) had obviously been waiting for us while we got lectured and weighed down with a week's detention starting next Monday.

BITCH!

That's all I have to say.

Ahem.

"A week detention," we sighed together, before grinning at each other.

"So, birthday girl…"

I immediately perked up at the reminder as to what day it is.

Y'know, I can't believe I haven't mentioned this yet…

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

_**WOOOOOOHOOOO!**_

"Its my birthday, I'm seventeen, its my birthday, I'm seventeen, yay, I'M SEVENTE- mumph!" I sang, doing a little victory dance before I was very nicely cut off by a pair of familiar lips attacking mine.

"Oh no, guys!" I heard Kara groan, before I noticed she was very suddenly silenced.

Who wants to bet that Max just kissed her?

Ohhhh, never mind _that_…

Y'know, I really like being in love with Johnny. The benefits are great. Like a very hot redhead kissing you at random and sporadic times.

I moaned as his hands raked through my hair and as I gently nipped at his lip, a cold voice rudely interrupted us.

"Detention again Miss Tate, and the same for Mr McGregor, Mr Tate and Miss Hiwatari,"

I pulled away from Johnny to see Jackal sneering at us.

"Whatever," I said calmly before going back to my activities.

"MISS TATE! MR MCGREGOR!"

I felt Johnny grin against my lips, before pulling away. Our friends were trying their best to hold their laughter, and were doing an okay job considering. Well, Jackal hadn't noticed yet anyway.

"Whatever you want, please hurry up cos we're kinda busy right now if you haven't noticed," Johnny said matter-of-factly.

Jackal was actually speechless. Seriously, she was just standing there gaping at us. Maybe the amount of PDA that were on show was too much for her. Cos, really, when was the last time she got laid? When she lost her virginity at the age of twenty six?

Johnny just raised his eyebrow, and I smirked at her. Then Johnny pulled me closer to him, his hands trailing over the hem of my shirt, before slipping underneath. He lowered his head til his mouth was right next my ear, and his eyes were trained Jackal.

"Y'know, I think we should get outta here before them lot spontaneously combust with laughter," Johnny whispered, as grin unfurled on my face.

"Okay," I said simply, grabbing his hand. "Bye Mrs Jackson,"

And we got the hell out there.

"Oh my God, her face!" Mirror cackled as we ran outside.

"I know!" Kai chuckled.

"Especially when Johnny said…said…" At that point Kara lost all control and fell to the floor in laughter.

"Brilliant acting Johnny," I beamed.

"Thank you, thank you, I'm here til Sunday," Johnny stated, bowing extravagantly.

"Come to the point," Kai started, once everyone, or Kara anyway, had calmed down, "Don't we need to start practising for the Christmas Ball?"

My mouth formed an 'o' shape. "Yeah, we do,"

"Well, how about before school on Monday, since Cass gets to school early thanks to her training," Mirror suggested.

We agreed pretty quickly, but then an idea struck me.

"Guys, why don't we do an actual play? Instead of just a scene?"

Kai and Johnny shrugged.

Great help THAT was.

"Sounds great," Destiny said, walking up to us, along with Mariah, Mariam, Holly and Sky, who obviously had just turned up at lunch. "Unfortunately, I'm not that great with big parts in plays,"

"Well…Mirror can do it!" I exclaimed.

"I guess," Mi shrugged, but I could tell she was pleased.

"Brill!" I grinned, "Lets go tell Connors then!"

I was dead pleased with myself that day. Hey, I mean, its my birthday, I'm FINALLY seventeen as of eleven o'clock tonight, me and Mi managed to start a food fight with an APPLE no less, and me and Johnny stumped Jackal into silence and now we're going to do a play!

Then again, I should've known that once you reach the top, you can only start to fall.

And there was a long way to fall.

* * *

Okay, so tell me what ya think!

Thanx to EVERYONE who reviewed!

And...well...REVIEW!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	20. Reality Bites

HEYA! I've decided to updateearly...I WAS gonna update tomorrow, which is my birthday and I'M GONNA BE FIFTEEN...ahem, anyways,I was gonna updateon my birthday because, well, it would be a nice treat for you,and I was planning to update Goddess of Fire (which you guys HAVE to read, even it is a Harry Potter fic),onlyI haven't finished that chapterso that'll have to wait...er, I'm rambling aren't I? Bugger.

Anyways, this chapter will cause a lot of upsets out there, just, er, don't kill me.

Disclaimer: WOW! I'M RICH! BECAUSE I OWN BEYBLADE...well, actually, I'm skint, nearly fifteen and, unfortunately, do not own Kai Hiwatari or Johnny McGregor.

ENJOY AND REVIEW!

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* * *

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**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty: Reality Bites**

"We're having a party…we're seventeen…we're having a party…we're seventeen…" I chanted happily as I danced around our bedroom, all the girls that were sitting there watching, smiled at my enthusiasm.

"You're happy," Sky smirked.

"Duh!" I retorted, continued to do a little gig around the room. "C'mon Holly, dance!" I encouraged, but was met by a shake of the head. I pouted in response.

"I'll dance with you Sandy!" Sky grinned, jumping off my bed, grabbing my hand and her arm encircling my waist.

"How the hell can you dance without music?" Destiny asked incredulously.

"We did this all the time in America," Sky quipped, as she spun around gracefully.

"Especially when our teacher was ill!" I grinned.

"Ah, so that's where Willow's 'The Teacher Is Sick!' victory dance came from," Mariah smiled.

"Uh huh," we said simultaneously as we did a complicated twist and dip.

We had decided to get ready together for the party tonight, seeing as it was gonna be held at Tala's house cos his parents were away and his house was the biggest anyway. Mirror, Kara, Sky, Mariah, Mariam, Destiny, Mika and Holly were all scattered around our room, leaving just enough room for me and Sky to dance.

"GIRLS! PRESENTS ARE HERE!" Dad called from downstairs.

Everyone froze.

Presents?

YES!

"PRESENTS!" I screamed, running for the door, Holly hot on my heels. The others blinked in surprise before returning to their senses and hurrying after us.

Run down the stairs…jump the last four or so…where's Dad…!

Bloody hell, where the heck did Dad go?

"Outside sweethearts!"

We rushed towards the front door and all tumbled outside.

I froze.

Holly froze.

The others damn well nearly crashed into us but I didn't notice.

"Oh my God," I whispered.

"Ditto," Holly breathed.

"Willow," Dad said, looking extremely happy, "This is your present,"

I almost choked on AIR. "Mine? Just…mine?"

Sitting, gleaming in the sun and looking very gorgeous, was a silver Mazda MX5.

Yes, a fucking Mazda MX5!

"Yep," Dad said cheerfully, chucking the keys at me. I caught them without even looking away from the car.

Seriously, WOW!

"So, what's Holly's present?" Kara asked, effectively tearing my attention from the car.

Dad laughed, "Hang on, I was just coming to that! Well, Holly, you know we've just finished building the extension room on the house?"

"Yeah," she frowned, "But you didn't let us go in and it's been a week since it was finished,"

"I was wondering about that actually," I quipped.

For six months they've been building an extension at the back of the house and our parents have been all tight lipped about what it was for. Even Dad didn't succumb to my puppy eyes. I had Ruby and Cassie do it as well for good measure, but he still didn't tell me!

"Well, c'mon then you lot," Dad said, leading us inside again and upstairs. The door at the end of the corridor led to the extension room. Dad opened it and beamed at us.

"OH MY GOD!"

That was, believe it or not, my sister.

I stepped inside after Holly and my jaw dropped.

"BLOODY HELL!"

"Language," Dad chided half-heartedly.

The room was quite clearly a bedroom. Painted crimson and with smooth wooden floors, as well as soft plush purple and blue rugs. A double bed with a blood red duvet stood against a wall, and on the wall opposite to us was floor to ceiling windows. The wall opposite the bed had bookshelves, carrying loads of Holly's books (THAT'S where they went! Holly had a heart attack this morning for no reason!) and between a coupla shelves was a huge plasma TV, along with a DVD player, VCR and a PlayStation 2. At the foot of the bed was a deep purple two-seat sofa that looked dead comfy, and in a corner was a desk, with new stationary and several notebooks lying on top, as well as a silver laptop.

"I don't believe it," Destiny muttered.

"A car and a bedroom each. Whoa." Sky blinked.

A bedroom…each?

Oh YEAH! BRILLIANT! I GET THE WHOLE BEDROOM!

"Anyway, this is like a double present. Holly gets access to the car anytime she wants and Willow gets your old bedroom to herself," Dad told us, as Holly moved towards the desk, picked up the laptop and hugged it.

Okaaaaaay…

"Daddy," she said slowly, putting down the laptop, "You are the best!"

And then she latched herself onto Dad's side.

I might as well do the same actually…

"Yeah, definitely," I agreed, hugging Dad's other side.

Dad grinned at us. "Yeah, I know,"

Big headed, inflated ego…oh, who cares?

* * *

"Damnit, where are those _fucking_ rollers?" Holly snarled under her breath, digging around my walk in closet.

After a lot squealing over Holly's bedroom and my new car, we had decided we should probably get started on getting ready…I mean, nine girls and only two showers in the house!

"Funny how she jumps from perfect angel to the girl who likes to swear every twenty seconds," Mariam muttered under her breath, straightening her hair.

"Uh huh," I agreed, attempting to straighten my own hair, which had been dyed a very deep blood red.

"Has anyone seen my top?" Sky asked as she walked into the room, obviously returning from the shower since she was wrapped in a fluffy blue towel.

We had decided to get dressed later, which meant we were all lazing around in tank tops and shorts.

"Here Blue," I said, chucking the lilac top at my best friend. She thanked me and disappeared back to the bathroom to get dressed.

"Holly, the rollers are here!" Mariah called.

"Oh, thanks!"

"Man, I'm hot…"

"You're dehydrated! And I'm not surprised either; there was serious amount of steam in the bathroom after you had finished. Whatcha do, bathe in boiling water?"

"Well, EXCUSE ME for liking hot showers!"

"Its stupid though! You probably wasted half the hot water!"

"Oh c'mon guys, don't argue now!" Kara groaned, "Mika, leave Destiny alone, it doesn't matter anyway. Dessy, get yourself some water, it'll cool you down,"

"Yes Mom," they grumbled.

Kara smirked in response.

"You'd make a good mother actually," I told the auburn eyed girl, who was sitting next to me on my bed and brushing her soaking wet hair.

A faint red blush crept onto her cheeks, "Whatever,"

"No, really, Kara. You would make a totally cool mom," I insisted, honestly, can't the girl take a compliment?

"Er…thanks, I guess," Pause. "So, what you going as?"

I grinned excitedly, "Gothic Pixie!"

"Gothic Pixie? Okaaaaay…"

"What's wrong with pixies?" I said defensively.

"Nothing! Just…well, figures you would go gothic _anything_…"

I laughed, "Okay, yeah, that's true,"

Kara was going as a black cat, which totally suited her. As far as I knew, she was wearing black cut off jeans, black halter neck top and black leather jacket. Oh, and a cat mask, as well as cute furry ears. Er, yeah, a lot of black involved. Even her hair's been dyed black!

Well, anyways, I think Mariam is going as a vampire, and damn that suited her as well. Mariah's going as Guinevere, who I think is King Arthur's wife. Has anyone seen King Arthur? Its okay, I like Guinevere though, and her war outfit, so if Mariah is going as her that's very cool.

Destiny is going as Little Black Riding Hood, y'know the evil version of Little Red Riding Hood. Sky's going as a demented schoolgirl, which is stupid since she might as well go as herself then. Kidding…yeah, her outfit is quite cool. She's wearing a dirty torn blazer, blood stained white shirt, a ripped skirt and black scruffy trainers.

Mi, I think, is going as an Army Chick, which I have no idea why since she wouldn't last five seconds in the army because of her balance and memory, I guess if she had those though she might make a good army cadet. But thank god she hasn't, I don't think I couldn't stand her waking me up any earlier than I already have to, especially with her lame James Bond impression. Anyway, she looks cool and that's the main point.

Holly's going as a water fairy but she hasn't revealed her dress yet.

And Mika, well, I think she's going as an angel.

I wonder what the boys are going as?

* * *

By ten o'clock the party was in full swing, everyone was dancing and drinking, the room flashed red, purple, orange, green, yellow and other colours.

Holly looked dead glamorous in her diagonal cut, halter neck shimmery pale blue dress and open-toed blue high heels. She also wore a pair of baby blue wings, and her hair had been loosely curled.

I, however, was wearing a black and red corset, a puffed up black skirt with a red hem and black ankle boots, with ripped fishnet tights. My hair was perfectly straight and blood red. I also wore wings like Holly, only mine were black and red (duh!).

Yup, the birthday girls were looking great.

"Oi, want a vodka?" Johnny yelled over the music. He was dressed up as a pirate.

I shuddered at the thought of what had happened at Johnny's party. "Yeah, alright, but mix it with some orange juice!"

Johnny nodded and disappeared through the crowd as I swayed to the music, only to have someone else to come up and dance with me.

"Hey, Luke Skywalker!" I grinned.

"That's me!" Jamie smirked, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Having fun?"

"Lots. Happy birthday, by the way,"

"Thanks," I smiled. Really, Jamie can be such a sweetie when he wants to be!

"So, what's Little Sandy got for her birthday so far?"

I rolled my eyes at the nickname, "From my parents, A Mazda MX5,"

"No shit! Seriously?"

"Yeah," I grinned, "And Holly got a new bedroom, so I get my bedroom to myself now,"

"Neat,"

"Duh!"

Jamie laughed, and I was struck with another memory of a birthday.

"_Man, I can't believe I'm seventeen already!" _

"_Get over it Jamie!" I laughed. "Only one more year til your eighteen. You'll probably would've dumped me by then,"_

"_Nah, your too cute,"_

"_What's this, the great Jamie giving compliments?" I gasped, as Jamie laughed._

"_Sure, you deserve them,"_

"_Your sweet, you know that?"_

"_Duh!"_

_I laughed, but it fell away as Jamie reached down and kissed me softly._

It's my seventeenth now, and we're not kissing. We're not together. It kinda bites, looking back, but now I have Johnny and I couldn't ask for more.

"So what else you got?"

I shrugged, "Dunno, we haven't gotten round to the present opening bit,"

Ironically, at the point all music ceased and Enrique grabbed a microphone. "ALRIGHT EVERYONE, I DO BELIEVE ITS TIME FOR SOME PRESENT OPENING!"

Wow, wicked timing Eny!

"C'MON UP HERE WILLOW AND HOLLY!"

"Off you go then!" Jamie smirked, giving me a little shove towards the front. Only turning around for a split second to send a glare at him (what else?) I headed towards Enrique, meeting Holly half way there.

"YAY! PRESENTS!" I squealed.

"Alright, someone's excited!" Enrique smirked.

"Oh shut up!" I replied cheerfully, picking up the nearest one in the pile. "To Holly, From Fred and Nick," I read the tag, before chucking it at Holly. She caught nimbly, looking pretty excited.

We got through the pile no problem. I got Holly a book that's she's been dying for for ages, a cute silver ankle bracelet with a piano pendant and a keyboard, which would be useful for her to practise music on. She got me a cute t-shirt with the slogan 'Of All The Things I Lost, I Miss My Mind The Most', which I reckon suits Mirror more than me, but hey, I did NOT say that! Ha ha, anyways, she also got me a tennis racket, which would good for whenthe weatherstarts warming up. She also got me a funky purple and silver watch.

Other than those, we pretty much got things like books, clothes, DVDs, games etc.

I picked up another box, "To Holly, From A Secret Admirer," I read, "Hey, Holly's got a secret admirer!" I snickered, knowing very well it was from Tala.

"Oh, shut up," Holly muttered, her cheeks flushing as she snatched it out of my hand. She had obviously reached the conclusion its from Tala as well. She opened it carefully, aware that every eye was on her, and gaped at the contents.

"Well?" I asked impatiently.

She pulled out a silver chain, and attached was a butterfly pendant with rubies. THEN she pulled out this really cute ornate butterfly hairclip!

"Wow," I managed to say.

"Yeah," Ray frowned, "Wow,"

Heh heh…whoops?

I diverted everyone's attention by grabbing another present, "Ooooooh, 'To Willow, From Johnny'!" I squealed, causing practically everyone to smile. Flashing a grin at my boyfriend, I tore off the wrapping paper.

"HOLY CRAP!"

A GUITAR! HE GOT ME A GUITAR! OH MY GOD!

"YES! You're the best Johnny!" I yelled, flinging my arms around his neck.

"I guess you like it then," Johnny laughed, as I did a little jig right there and then, "Take a closer look though,"

I gave him a weird a look, but for once did what I was told.

Damn I got some big surprise.

"BLOODY HELL!"

Cos attached to the purple and silver guitar were two concert tickets. Concert tickets…for LINKIN PARK…in NEW YORK!

"Oh YES, oh yeah, oh yeah, YOU ROCK!" I ranted, hugging Johnny once again.

"Oi, there's still one present left!" Enrique told me. I pulled away from Johnny with wide eyes.

"There is? To who? From who!"

Seriously, I thought Johnny's was the last one.

"To Willow, From The Twins," Enrique read out loud, then handing me a large box with holes. I heard something scurrying inside.

"Is there something alive in there?" I asked in a bewildered tone to Fred and Nick.

"Just open it," they chorused.

I did what I was told (AGAIN!), and opened it.

"AWWWW!"

I bet you think there's a kitten in there. Or a puppy. Well, then you would be very wrong.

"YOU GOT HER A FERRET!"

I giggled at Holly's exclamation and picked up the cinnamon and white ferret. "Its soooo SWEET!"

"Knew you would like her," Fred said proudly.

"It's a girl?" I asked, as the ferret leapt from my arms and onto my shoulder.

"Yep,"

"Looks like she likes you as well," Nick smirked.

I grinned, absolutely delighted as she hopped off my shoulder and settled in my arms.

"Sachi," I announced, "Sachi is her name,"

Sachi mewled in approval.

* * *

I was drunk. Completely and totally trashed. Getting déjà vu? Cos I sure as hell am. I'm kinda hoping I won't get any nasty shocks like last time.

"Sachi?" I called, barely avoiding tripping over another bottle. Sachi had run off only a second ago and now I had totally lost her. Damn she's fast.

"Okay Sachi, this isn't very nice," I mumbled.

_Damnit, where is everyone?_

_Oh right, back in the hall helping to clean up._

"SACHI?"

THUMP!

"OUCH! SACHI!" someone yelped from beyond a door. Pushing said door, I found Luke Skywalker hopping around on one leg, an over turned table near by and Sachi standing on her hind legs, her head cocked to the side as if thinking _that hurts?_

"SACHI!" I cried out. Sachi quickly ran over to me and hopped onto my shoulder.

I turned to Luke Skywalker, wondering what the hell he was doing OUT of the TV screen.

_Why is he hopping around clutching his foot?_

"Sandy, you could at least keep hold of Sachi," Luke said, gingerly putting his foot back down.

_Sandy?_

_Sandy…_

"_Hey, Jamie!"_

"_Hey Sandy…"_

"_What's the matter Jamesies?"_

"_Nothing!"_

"_Uh huh…"_

"_Listen, Sandy, just go get Blue and scram!"_

"_Why? Jamie, what are you doing?"_

"_Just go!"_

"_TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"_

"_NO! DO ME A FAVOUR AND GET OUTTA HERE SANDY!"_

Sandy…and Jamie…yeah…

"Sorry Jamie," I muttered, trying to gain my bearings as the room flipped upside down and righted itself in a split second.

"You alright?" Jamie asked, looking concerned. He quickly grabbed me as I faltered.

"Yeah," I mumbled, shaking my head furiously to clear it. Sachi settled herself on my shoulder, nuzzling my neck.

I closed my eyes briefly; only when I opened them Jamie was a helluva lot closer than I thought.

"Your completely trashed Sandy," Jamie stated, his golden coloured eyes gazing straight into mine.

"I know," I said, staring right back. His lips were close…dangerously close…oh God…

"This is wrong,"

"I know,"

Our lips collided in out first kiss for two years, meshing together chaotically, but it was familiar, like going back home…

"Willow! Willow…?"

Shit! Oh fuck…_Johnny…_

I stumbled backwards, my eyes wide as reality set in, and fearfully turned around, Sachi's claws digging into my shoulder in surprise. And there he was, of course, leaning against the doorway, violet eyes trained on me.

Betrayal.

That's all I could see in his violet eyes.

"Johnny…"

At the sound of my voice he shook his head furiously and spun around, walking away.

"Johnny!" I choked out, casting a last look at Jamie and running after him, only to find him gone.

_If I were Johnny and thought my girlfriend was cheating on me, where would I go?_

Bad thought…!

_Damnit damnit damnit!_

Where is he…?

I took off down the corridor, down the main stairs and past the hall, Sachi leaping from my shoulder and into my arms to avoid falling off. I passed the hall where a few of my friends were cleaning up, or had completely passed out, and dashed out of the front door. There, Johnny was heading towards his motorbike, parked next to my MX5.

"JOHNNY!"

He froze.

I skidded to a stop only a few feet away from him.

"Johnny…I'm sorry…"

"So how long has this been going on?" he asked coldly, finally turning around.

I cringed, "That…was the first time I've kissed him in two years…"

"Why should I believe you? Huh?"

I took a deep breath and consequently sobered up completely.

"Because…you've always trusted me," I said slowly.

"Stupid thing to do," he snarled, and I knew that anger was beginning to set in, "Why? Why did you have to do that? Just explain that to me!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" I cried out, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? It was completely stupid and spontaneous! I was drunk…I AM DRUNK!"

"Is that meant to excuse you for cheating on your boyfriend? How the hell do I know you ain't gonna do it again!"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

Johnny took a deep breath, his eyes went cold and hard. Emotionless.

"And I _don't _love you,"

Like an icicle to the heart.

"Wh-what?" I stammered.

"I don't love you," he repeated, "I'm not stupid Willow. I knew you weren't going to wait around for me forever, so I lied. I guess there was no point,"

My heart stopped there and then.

"Its over Willow,"

* * *

I'll refrain from cackling evilly, because a) I'm upset as you are about them splitting up and b) DO I LOOK LIKE I HAVE A DEATH WISH?

It seems kinda weird now...seventeen chapters -or is it sixteen?- of them being a happy couple and NOW look what happens! Well, its done now.

Anyways, PLEASE review, especially since its my birthday tomorrow! PLEASE?

AND THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT REVIEWED!

Weeeeeell, CIAO!

Chiya


	21. The World Has Ended

Heya! How ya doing? Moi is happy to be fifteen but very pissed off at everyone pushing exams, coursework and homework and shit on top of me, which seriously _sucks_. Anyways, before I go rambling off on THAT, I'd like to thank EVERYONE who reviewed! Much appreciated.

Disclaimer: Er...YEAH! I doown beyblade and everyone in it, including Kai and Johnny...er, what? Nooooo, don'tsue me, I was just kidding...

ENJOY AND REVIEW!

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**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty One: The World Has Ended**

_To: blackphoenix_

_From: DannyEvans132_

_Subject:COME BACK NOW!_

_SANDY LILY TATE IF YOU DON'T COME BACK RIGHT NOW I AM GOING TO KILL MATHILDA SANCHEZ AND I AM PROBABLY GOING TO REGRET IT!_

_I'm serious Sandy. That girl is driving me nuts. Ooooooh, no, don't start laughing at me now missy, I bet your thinking "You found her, wanted to keep her with us, you deal!" Well, GUESS WHAT! I don't CARE! _

_Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't've yelled. I know you can't come back. You've got Jamie and Blue and your boyfriend…Johnny, right? I should know, you've been rattling on about him for ages now. _

_No, wait a sec. This is about me, right? All my emails to you are about me soooo…GOD, SHE'S GONNA DRIVE ME NUTS!_

_I have no idea what a girl like Mathilda sees in that guy…remember Tyson Granger? Yeah, remember his brother, Hiiro? Year older than us, greyish blue hair, God of course you remember, you had a crush on him, you psycho, anyway…Mattie's going out with him. I mean, HELLLLOOO, THREE YEARS AGE DIFFERENCE? _

_Do something Sandy. He's gonna break her heart like he does with every other girl he dates. Talk to her, cos I sure as hell ain't getting anywhere with the whole "he's a bad guy for you" speech. _

_So, how are you?_

_And Holly? Max? Blue? Jamie?_

_Oh, and Johnny? How are things with him? Still hopelessly in love?_

_I hope not. You were terrible enough with Jamie, and he was loud, obnoxious and God it was so obvious you guys liked each other WAAAY before you figured it out. But I guess you guys were good together. Seems weird to have you rambling on about Johnny. But he sounds cool. _

_Waiting for your reply_

_Lots of love,_

_Danny Evans_

_P.S. Chris says hi. _

I smiled sadly. Danny was one of my gang back in America, and all of them had kept contact since I had left, but it was never the same as being with them. Having Danny ramble about Mathilda, the orphan whom Danny had found and heroically saved from being raped in an alleyway, and the only one who could send Daniel Evans up the wall, was comforting. The Evans brothers, Chris being Jamie's ages, were by fault funny, loud and laid back.

As I sat in front of computer, perched on a comfortable chair, I let everything just float. Well, I dunno. I was in shock, sitting there and unable to process the fact Johnny had left me, but not only that…

_He never loved me._

In a way, that hurt more than him leaving me.

But I still felt numb.

_To: blackphoenix_

_From: SpykeBlack_

_Subject:HELP!_

_You've heard, haven't you? About Mattie dating Hiiro and Danny going crazy? Why has he gone crazy? You should know, right? You always know what and why things are going on, even if you haven't been here for two years. You do know, you have to know. So if you know, you can make it stop. So make it stop. I can't concentrate on hacking into databases when I have two hormonal teenagers screaming up and down HQ and God damnit, Sandy, HELP!_

_Scared and annoyed beyond wits,_

_Azure Black_

It looks like the two had everyone annoyed and ducking for cover. It seemed even never-interested-in-anything-but-a-computer Azure "Spyke" Black was yelling for my help, and looking at the other emails, everyone was pretty much saying the same thing.

Over there, it never seemed to change. But here, it always changed, it never stopped changing. I was on a roller coaster, and I was heading for earth.

Well, I suppose I ought to do SOMETHING about Mattie and Danny. Then I could focus on my own love life. Or the lack of it.

_To: DannyEvans132_

_From:blackphoenix_

_Subject:Complete idiot_

_Dear Mister Complete Idiot, I have reason to believe that you are quite possibly the blindest person on earth._

_And before I address you problems, I am going to drop the formal speech and ramble about myself._

_I hate life. I hate school. I hate Taniana and I hate the fact that you're there and I'm here. I hate Johnny, I hate Jamie and most of all, I hate myself._

_I'm serious. I fucking hate myself. I only went and kissed Jamie during my birthday party and Johnny caught us and I went after him and then we had this huge argument thingy where he was really angry and I felt like crying and… _

_He never loved me._

_That's what he said. He never…_

_Oh shit, I'm starting to feel something. I was numb before but—_

At that point, I started crying. Like a dam had been lifted and floods of tears poured down my face.

_And I've started crying. Okay, enough about me._

_I'll put this simply and quickly cos I wanna go to bed and cry my eyes out. _

_You. Are. In. Love. With. Mathilda. Sanchez._

_Okay? Stop, arguing, admit it, she'll fall into your arms and you'll be happy forever after. _

_I'm going to drown in my sorrows now._

_Lotsa love,_

_Sandy_

Clicking the send button and then switching off the computer, I dragged myself to my bed. It was four in the morning, the morning after the party and I lay sobbing on the bed. Sachi curled up in my arms, butting her head against my shoulder in a comforting way as I slowly cried myself to sleep.

* * *

"WILLOW!" 

I yawned as I skidded effortlessly into the playground. Monday morning, I wasn't feeling much better and I had pretty much been avoiding EVERYONE. So boy was I in for some grilling.

"Hey," I muttered as Kara, Destiny and Mariah ran towards me.

"Girl, where HAVE you been?" Kara demanded, "I must've called five times yesterday and not once did you answer!" she huffed in annoyance.

I shrugged, "I…just…didn't feel like facing the world," I said.

"Didn't feel like facing the world?" Mirror asked with a raised eyebrow as she approached us.

"Major hangover," I lied, honestly I really didn't feel like telling anyone.

Destiny and Mariah rolled their eyes, totally buying it and walking towards the boys. However Kara and Mirror knew me WAY better and narrowed their eyes at me.

Scary.

After dragging me towards the big oak tree, they immediately began the interrogation.

"So, were you out all Sunday or something?"

"No,"

"At someone's house?"

"No,"

"I bet you were at Johnny's for an all day in bed fest thing!"

My breath hitched in my throat and I shook my head violently.

"Girl, that's so it!" Kara said triumphantly.

"Kara, shut up," Mirror ordered as she frowned at me. I was staring at the ground, biting my lip.

"Willow?" she said gently.

_Stop._

"HEY JOHNNY!"

No… 

"Man, where have you been?" Tala asked cheerfully.

Don't look…don't look… 

"Willow, what's the matter?"

Don't look…Oh God, you're looking… 

"Willow, _what happened?_"

"Just around…" his eyes locked with mine. Violet eyes…cold, hard, emotionless…empty.

I quickly spun on my heels and walked away, ignoring my friends' calls.

Y'know, its one thing it cope with…well, heartbreak, but it I never considered what would happen when I saw him again. Its stupid, its not as if we don't have a class together, go to the same school, have the same friends.

Like it or not, I was going to have to deal.

* * *

When I was in America, I had a group of friends that were always there when I needed them…always there to cause trouble. 

When I was in America, I was a badass rebel that no one could deal with unless they were exactly like me.

When I was in America…I was thrown into Detention Camp for a month just before moving to Japan.

I was Sandy Lily Tate. No one could handle me; no one wanted to go near me like I was plague or something.

Now I'm in Japan. I'm known as Cass, or quite simply Willow. A fresh new start, with my family and none of my old friends. Now Jamie and Sky are here, they're here and Johnny's left me and now…the past comes back to bite me in the ass.

Isn't that nice?

You've heard Jamie complaining. He was part of my group of friends. He knew the real me, the one who set our Headmaster's car on fire. _Twice._

Needless to say, Holly was upset with me more often than she wasn't. I guess that's the only reason I've ever made an effort…my sister, my twin, my angelic half. But she's not angelic anymore, is she? She doesn't need me; she has two guys on the go and a whole group of friends to look out for her. After Detention Camp, I came to Japan and made friends with the hottest guys in town…and I stayed friends with them. And not once did they ever see the old me.

And that was about to change.

* * *

"Heya Will!" 

I looked up, eyebrows raised at the twins' huge enthusiasm.

"Hey Fred, hey Nick," I greeted, looking back at my English coursework due in later today. I was in the library, somewhere that was starting to look like my hideout.

Er…did I just say that?

Man, I so need a life.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Fred asked in an amused, curious tone, him and his brother sitting down opposite me.

"Romeo and Juliet coursework," I grumbled, "I swear, if I have to see another sappy, lovey dovey, suicidal couple again I will slit my throat and end my tormented life, thank you very much,"

"Tormented life?" Nick echoed incredulously, "Is this actually coming from the girl who has it pretty good, right?"

"It _looks_ like Willow, it _sounds _like Willow, soooo, its gotta be Willow,"

"Wow, you guys concluded that in…ten seconds? Well, okay, most people recognise their friends almost instantly, but that's an improvement for you guys," I grinned. They mock glared before grinning back.

"What can we say, we like to try," Nick said smugly.

I laughed, but it was short lived. There was not much you can to laugh about when you're pretty much heartbroken…hey, bad Willow, not supposed to be thinking about that!

"What's wrong Willow?"

"Huh?" I said in surprise, looking at the concerned faces of Fred and Nick Lewis.

"Something's wrong," Nick stated.

"Tell us about it," Fred prompted.

"Its…its nothing,"

"_Willow_…"

There is NO getting past those two.

* * *

THUMP! 

Oh boy. Oh bloody great.

Y'know, Fred and Nick just HAD to be the first to figure out what happened, didn't they? They just HAD to demand the whole story from me then run off!

"Fred, NO!" I screamed.

No point. His fist still collided with a face I had been quite happily kissing a week ago.

"What the hell is going on?" Max demanded.

Hey, big bro, now is NOT the time!

Both redheads ignored him, Johnny driving a fist into Fred's stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"You _bastard_," Fred snarled, gasping for breath.

"Do you even KNOW what's happening here?" Johnny retorted angrily.

"Yes he does, and would you STOP FIGHTING!" I yelled, hands clenched at my sides.

_No such luck_, I thought darkly as Fred was slammed against a locker, Johnny then reeling back as another fist collided with his face.

"Stop it!" Kara cried out. "Kai, Max, do SOMETHING!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Max muttered, "Not until we know the full story,"

"YOU WANT THE FULL STORY?" Johnny yelled angrily as his back collided with another set of lockers. "Ask your whore of a sister!"

I stepped backwards in surprise. Hurt was the first emotion that flashed through me and stayed there, a black empty hole of hurt.

"HEY! DON'T TALK ABOUT MY SISTER LIKE THAT!"

He thinks I'm a whore… 

No.

_No._

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Fred yelled, his normally happy blue eyes narrowed in anger, "YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE TO CALL HER THAT!"

_But he does._

_He does._

CRASH! Fred was slammed against the locker yet again, only with a minor difference…Johnny's hand was wrapped around his throat, clenched tightly in anger.

_Oh God._

"Tell them, Willow. Tell them what you did," Johnny snarled, his eyes never leaving Fred.

I took another step backwards.

"_Go on_,"

Fred choked, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to get oxygen into his body.

"_Willow!" _Nick yelled in panic.

"Johnny, let him GO!"

"I KISSED JAMIE!"

Silence. Total, inevitable, silence. The words tumbled out of my mouth in a rush, blind panic.

I took a deep breath, "I kissed Jamie. I was drunk. _I'm sorry_,"

Bright blue eyes flickered closed.

"LET HIM GO!" I screamed, and he did. Fred slumped against the lockers, sliding to the floor and taking rapid breaths. I ran to him, crouching next to him.

"There you go. Tell me I don't have a reason to call her a whore. Who knows how many other guys she's kissed while she was meant to be with me. Maybe she's even having an affair with _Fred_…"

Something snapped inside me.

My eyes darkened. All the hurt left. All that was left was…anger.

SMACK!

My hand stung as it connected with his cheek, his head snapping sideways, his violet eyes wide in surprise.

"_Don't…_you fucking bastard…" I snarled, "Never even bothered to mention that you cruelly broke my heart did you? _You never loved me_. _You…never…_don't lay a hand on my friends _ever again_!"

I turned on my heel, and ran.

The only thing I could do. Run.

"SANDY!"

As the others disappeared from sight, a hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. Whirling around and ready to kill whoever it was, I froze.

"Blue?"

I all but whimpered.

"Hey there," Sky said softly, wrapping her arms around me. "Blue's not leaving now. Okay? Blue's staying for however long you want me to,"

I only managed a small smile in gratitude before all my systems shut down, and a wave of tears burst forward.

And I felt like the world had ended.

* * *

It was the worst then. The shock and hurt was still fresh, the anger and pain still coursing through my veins. The only things keeping me sane were my friends…Sky and Jamie. 

I talked to Jamie. We decided it was a one off, drunk thing. We decided it was better to stay friends.

Sky stayed. Even transferred school. She's like that. Stay with her friends at their time of need. And I needed her. Needed her more than I will ever understand.

Fred and Nick. While not as dependent on them as I was on Sky, I still valued their friendship a helluva lot more than usual. They were my source of insane normality, where things were as they had always been: complete and utterly random, insane and just plain funny.

Johnny and I barely talked, and when we did it was to snap at each other, mutter things such as 'pass the blue pencil please,' and to work on our play. Of course, Johnny dropped out and became director instead, and Fred took his place. It still hurt to see him, to have fights with him at random intervals, but slowly the pain ebbed away, and all that remained was anger.

On the fifth of December, exactly two weeks later, everything changed.

* * *

Well, hope you enjoyed! There was a helluva lot of yelling in this chapter, but things are definitely gonna get interesting around here...especially when the past catches up with Willow...

REVIEW PLEASE!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	22. I Hate You

Heya everyone! Yes, I am back with an update that I have been working on ALL day as well as randomly through the week...oh, who am I kidding? You just wanna read it, not listen to me waffle on!

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade or any of its characters.

ENJOY!

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**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty Two: I Hate You**

"The fire inside you can be kindled by anything: guilt, compassion, pain, anger. But the brightest fire is always one made by love."

I cocked my head to the side at the quote Sky had just randomly sprouted, while lying with her and Jamie on the banks of the lake where I had trained so hard every morning, recently with Sky now that she had moved here permanently.

"What the hell?" I said, raising an eyebrow at my best friend.

"You don't remember?" Sky asked, looking a little sad, "You told me that when I was pining after Rick Steward. You said that the fire hadn't been kindled at all, so I obviously was just after him for the hell of it, that I had no feelings for the guy,"

I frowned as I searched for the memory, grinning triumphantly when I found it.

"Sandy was always coming up with weird stuff like that," Jamie added.

"Yeah," I said, frowning again, "I was,"

"See, that's why I liked the _old _you! Sky, make her change back!" Jamie whined.

We both laughed.

"So, what's up with dragging that from the grave?"

Sky shrugged, but I knew she had an intelligent all knowing answer that she was just about to release. Hey, I've known her since I was _two_.

"Well, that fire in you, its _really_ burning bright, cos you love Johnny, even though he's a complete wanker, you just can't stop loving someone straight away. Anyway,you're hurting, you're angry and you're feeling a helluva lot of stuff that's fuelling your fire. Like it or not, you need an outlet," Sky explained.

That, funnily enough, almost made sense.

_Jeez_, I must be screwed if Sky is starting to make sense!

"Well, okay, how d'ya suggest I start 'outletting'?"

"AH HA!" Jamie yelled in triumph as if some wildly brilliant idea had just bonked him over the head. Scary.

"Huh?" we said, confused.

"You need an outlet? Simple! Just back track two years. Forget the fresh new start. _Just be Sandy_!"

Sky grinned manically, "Brilliant Jamie!"

"I know," he smirked.

Sheesh, that guy just _never _stops being arrogant!

"Wait, lemme get this straight," I interrupted their celebrations of such a 'great' idea. "You want me to be Sandy, right? Well, how the hell am I just supposed to drop EVERYTHING I've worked for in the last two years, and just revert back to old ways?"

The pair just looked at each other and grinned, "Because you've already started doing that," they said simultaneously, which is even scarier than Fred and Nick doing that because these guys are _not _twins.

"What?"

Here goes another confusing spell…

Man, I should stop getting friends that are REALLY confusing!

"Well, you've started enjoying training again,"

"And you're a little more violent than usual,"

"You're spending more time with us than you do with your sister or other friends,"

"So?" I frowned.

"Say something random," Sky commanded.

"I wonder what would happen if Mars played Chicken with Earth…" I said automatically, before I realised what I had just said.

"Shit," I concluded.

There were several things you can count Sandy Lily Tate to do…be violent, sprout random stuff, and be with Blue and Jamie.

Right now, I was doing all of those things. Especially considering the amount of times I had beaten up Jamie for the hell of it.

"YES!" they yelled happily.

"Sandy's back!" Jamie grinned, swooping me up and spinning me around.

I couldn't help it.

I laughed.

* * *

The morning of the fifth of December found me and Sky sitting on the low brick wall near the front gate of school, waiting for the bell to ring for homeroom. We were goofing around, laughing and talking about everything under the sun.

"And Sarah was like, '_what, her, that freak with blue hair?'_ And I said, 'If you got a problem with blue hair then you most have some serious issues. It's a _colour_!'" Sky laughed, as she told me about the people she had met in England.

"God, what is she, bluephobic?"

"Probably!"

And we burst out laughing again.

"Hey, d'you remember when Hannah first floated that pencil?"

"And there was us thinking that Wicca Magic doesn't exist!"

"And Mya! She drank all that vodka…took us ages to fix that staircase!"

It seemed pretty simple just giggle about all the funny things in the past that didn't seem so funny when it was actually happening, but it wasn't. All the time I was consciously aware that everything was _not _okay, and it wasn't going to be for a while.

"Blue?" I said seriously.

"Yeah? What Sandy?"

"THINK FAST!" I grinned, shoving her off the low wall. She let out a squeal of surprise as she landed hard on her butt, her arm bleeding from when she had scrapped it against the wall.

"Damn that was good!" Blue laughed, standing up. We have this ancient game of trying to surprise the other so much they don't notice that they're been shoved over until the last second. It caused a lot scrapes and bruises, but we were damn proud of them.

Laughing, I didn't notice her mischievous grin until it was too late. She tackled me full force, causing both of us to fly backwards several feet and me to land rather painfully on my back, Sky sprawled out half on top of me, all the while neither of us stopped laughing.

"God you're brutal!"

"Aw, is lil Cass hurt?" Sky said in a baby voice, sitting up.

"Hurt my ass," I retorted with a grin, pushing her onto her side again, only to have her crawl onto my lap and pout at me.

It was only then did I notice the weird looks we were getting, even from my friends.

"Up!" I commanded.

She grinned and stayed put.

"Okay," I muttered slowly, "You asked for it…"

She immediately wriggled off my lap but it was too late. I caught her, picked her up effortless since she always was as light as a feather, and threw her roughly at my mates. Just as I expected, she twisted around in mid air and landed on her feet, only to lose her balance and have Nick catch her.

Typical.

"MEANIE!" Sky wailed.

"You wouldn't move!"

"Well, duh,"

I rolled my eyes.

"Hey Mi," I greeted as the cherry eyed girl whizzed through the gates on her roller blades.

"Hey Willow!"

Mirror was one of the few of my friends that still acted normally around me, as if I hadn't kissed Jamie and therefore ruined mine and Johnny's relationship, getting my heart cruelly broken in the process. Which is cool.

"Did you see Battle Royale last night?" she asked excitedly.

"Duh!" I replied, grinning, "It was WICKED!"

"Innit!"

"Man, Kiriyama was so CUTE!" I squealed.

"Are you kidding me? That psycho guy? Gimme Kawada anytime!"

"Kawada? Eh, he was okay. But when he died…that was so sad!"

"Willow…?" Kara intervened carefully.

"Yeah?"

"Do you just a fetish for redheads or something?"

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Well, you lost your virginity to Tala, you went out with Johnny for AGES, you've kissed Michael once, when he was still a redhead, and now you like Kiriyama…redhead too,"

I blinked again, realising it was all true.

"Does that mean you'll go out with Fred or Nick?" Mirror grinned.

"Nick's taken," I replied automatically, still trying to let this new info sink in.

"WHAT? He has a girlfriend? SINCE WHEN?" Mirror shrieked, causing me and Kara to wince.

"Who has a girlfriend?" Fred asked curiously.

I waited until everyone else went back to their business, before continuing, glad that Nick was talking to Sky who seemed delighted, not that anyone else would notice.

"I was talking about Nick, and no he doesn't have a girlfriend, but Sky likes him A LOT," I explained.

Fred snickered, "Oh goodie! Nick likes her too!"

"Great!" Mirror and me squealed.

"Matchmaker alert!" Fred groaned.

We burst out laughing.

And for the first time in ages, everything seemed okay.

* * *

"Sandy?" Sky whispered, leaning over the aisle from her table in Biology.

"Wha-?" I startled. I had been quite happily dozing and dreaming with my head in my arms while Mr. Johnson ranted on about plant and animal cells.

"BBRRRRRRIIIIIIIING!"

YES! We are leaving hell!

We quickly gathered all our notes, noticing that Holly had made pages of the stuff, Kara had made a few, whereas mine, Sky's and Mirror's were completely blank. Once clear of the daunting classroom, Sky continued.

"Sandy, were you really in love with McGregor?"

I blinked.

"Sky, isn't that a bit forward for someone who's just broken up with her boyfriend?" Kara frowned.

"Nah, you cushion her too much and she'll go crazy with suffocation," Sky said as if she was just discussing the weather.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Blue, I was really in love with McGregor,"

"I feel sorry for him then," she muttered.

WHAT?

"What the HELL?" I demanded.

Her mouth formed an 'o' shape. "Not like that! There's nothing wrong with you, except the fact you're insane…I mean…oh, well, you'll understand soon enough,"

I narrowed my eyes at her. The blue-eyed girl bit her lip nervously.

"Erm, English Lit next!" she yelped, taking off down the corridor with me in tow.

"DON'T KILL EACH OTHER!" Mirror yelled after us.

"I WON'T HURT HER…MUCH!" I yelled back.

Sky led me straight to English, laughing all the while as I threw non-existent threats at her, demanding to know what the hell was going on.

I found out as soon as Sky dashed inside the classroom. And I as I tumbled in, head twisting and turning in search for my childhood best friend, I froze in shock.

Oh. My. God.

"Willow," Connors greeted cheerfully, "I was just talking to your friends, whom you had no idea were here judging from the look on your face,"

What…how…impossible…they CAN'T be here…

I'm hallucinating!

Words escaped past my lips in a whisper.

"Mathilda?"

Sky was grinning manically.

"_Danny_?"

* * *

This is where I belong. In Danny's arms, while he muttered comforting bullshit in vague hope of calming me down when I was angry or upset.

And then I'd be fifteen again, and I'd pull away and say: 'What a whole load of shit Danny. But, hey, thanks,' and mess up his hair which he had been trying to perfect for a whole hour in the morning, trying to get the right balance between messy and curly.

"Jesus, just turn up ANY time you want, why don't you!" I sniffled.

"Whoa, no tears, I've got Mattie for that!" Danny grinned.

"HEY!" Mathilda yelled, but she was smiling anyway.

I stepped out of his arms, staring at him. In the two years I hadn't seen him he had shot up in height, almost Kai's height, and he now left his gorgeous silky chocolate brown locks to fall messily around his face, sometimes falling over one of his bright green eyes.

He seemed tougher too, but still that gentle semi-sensitive music lover joker that I had known two years ago.

Quite simply, he looked gorgeous. If he and Mattie weren't soooo destined for each other I wouldn't mind a piece of him!

Speaking of Mathilda, she too looked older. Her pink hair had grown to shoulder length and now sported black tips. Her body had matured, her crimson eyes showed more experience. She looked really pretty, exactly how we knew she would grow up.

"You guys look great," I smiled.

"So do you," Danny smirked, giving me a once over.

"OI!"

I laughed as Enrique walked in, saw that look, and immediately had something to say about it. He's such a sweetie!

"Hey Eny, this is Danny and Mathilda, guys this is Enrique," I introduced as Eny slung an arm over my shoulder and eyed Danny cautiously. Finally deciding he was okay, he grinned.

"Hey,"

"Hi!" Mattie greeted.

As Enrique headed to his seat with Kara, Mattie squealed at me. "Damn, you have some cute friends!" she whispered.

I relished the way Danny narrowed his eyes.

HA! Damn, he has it BAD!

"You should meet the rest of my guy friends," I grinned, winking.

Danny's blue eyes narrowed even more.

Maybe I should change the subject?

"Anyway, you staying?"

"Yep," Mathilda said, looking around at the class that was slowly filling up. "The receptionist gave us a visitors pass so we can stay for a while,"

"I repeat," Sky started, smirking, "I'm starting to feel sorry for Johnny McGregor,"

If it was possible, Danny appeared even angrier than ever only this time EVERYONE noticed it.

"Where the hell is that bastard?" he demanded.

Uh oh.

* * *

I can't believe I'm doing this. _Now_. What's wrong with me?

Y'know, standing outside the house that belongs to my ex-boyfriend and knocking on the door is not the best idea I've had.

"Yes?" Jeeves asked stuffily.

"I want to talk to Johnny," I said quietly.

"Master Johnny does not wish to speak to you Miss Tate," he sneered.

At the point I lost my temper.

"Look, I don't care if he doesn't want to speak to me! I just want to get the stuff I left here!" I yelled.

Jeeves blinked.

I took advantage of his temporary shock of being yelled at and slipped in past him. Hey, the door is pretty big!

"MISS TATE!" he yelled after me as I ran up the stairs.

"Miss Tate, come back here or I'm calling the police for trespassing!"

"Oh, shut the hell UP!"

"Good grief, what a horrible mouth…" he muttered as he chased after me. I resisted the urge to snicker despite me not being in the best of moods right now.

I banged on Johnny's door.

Hard.

"Alright, alright…" I heard him mutter. As soon as he opened the door, I walked right in and didn't bother waiting around while he gaped at me.

"Not staying long, I'm just getting my stuff," I practically growled. "Hey Kai, hey Tala," I greeted, noticing the two boys sitting on the floor in front of the TV with PS2 controllers in their hands. They were staring at me in surprise.

"…Hey Cass,"

"Its okay Jeeves," I heard Johnny say to the horrible butler.

"My apologies Master Johnny,"

"No worries, I got this,"

Huffing, I walked into the walk in closet and began to pick up the random items of clothing I had left here. Well, its gotta be done at some point!

"Just what the hell is your problem?" Johnny snapped as he walked in after me.

"MY PROBLEM? Maybe you should ask your butler what HIS problem is…and what the hell is YOUR problem?" I snapped back, angrily dumping the clothes into an empty cardboard box.

"_My problem_! You're the one who came storming in here!"

"What, I'm not allowed to take back what's mine?"

God he is soooo infuriating!

"You could've given me a warning!" the redhead growled, as I walked out the closet and fished out some of my CDs from under a pile of clothes. It looked like Kai and Tala had decided to get out of the line of fire and had headed off to the kitchen or something.

"Oh, what complete BULLSHIT!" I yelled, whirling around to face him. "You don't get it, do you? You don't get what its like to see you every day and every day you'll ignore me or yell at me and I don't know what's worst! You want me to warn you? Well, how the hell am I supposed to warn you if you all you do is ignore everything I say?"

I could feel the sharp stinging of tears in my eyes, but I fought them hard.

"And you wanna know why I ignore you? Cos every time I see you, I see you kissing James Hearn! You went out with him before, you've known him longer, it was clear you still had feelings for him! How the hell am I went to compete with that? Sure, you said you loved me, but that was before _he _turned up!"

A single tear escaped, sliding slowly down my cheek.

"I loved you. I still do," I whispered, "As far as I'm concerned, any feelings I have for Jamie disappeared two years ago. Y'know, its been two weeks since we broke up, and guess what!" my voice raised steadily, "All I can think about is YOU!"

We were breathing hard from all the yelling, I had dropped the cardboard box and…we were standing so close…

Violet eyes. Not cold, but full of anger and frustration. His hands were clenched at his sides, before, suddenly he grabbed my arms roughly and kissed me…

It was full of hunger. Rough, bruising, pent up frustration all pouring out in a single kiss. I responded with equal hunger, my hands clenching the material of his t-shirt. And as quickly as it began, it was over and he roughly pushed me away. I stumbled back, wide eyed, lips bruised.

"Stop thinking about me," he demanded angrily, "Cos I've already stopped thinking about you,"

My heart twisted.

"Fine," I said quietly, picking up the box and walking to the door. "Have a nice life Johnny,"

I soon as I was out of there I began to run down the corridor, sobs racking my body and tears flowing constantly down my cheeks.

"Lils? WILLOW!"

Running…always running…

Someone grabbed my wrist. I spun around, the box falling onto the floor and spilling its contents. I only saw long black hair and concerned violet eyes before I fell to the floor as well, sobbing.

"Mom?"

"Jessie, go tell Kai and Tala to see to your brother,"

"Yes Mom,"

"Willow, sweetie?"

"Anya?" I managed.

How ironic. I'm being comforted by my ex's mother. Very cool mother though.

"Its me honey,"

The sobs wouldn't die down. The tears wouldn't stop.

"I hate him, Anya. _I hate him_,"

And you know the worst thing? I meant it.

I meant every single word.

* * *

Well, thanx to everyone who reviewed the last chappie. Much appreciated.

And, er, REVIEW!

Ciao

Chiya


	23. Losing Sanity

Hey everyone! Well, I'm back with another update, although right now I should be preparing for my art exam tomorrow, but oh well! Its been a horrible week all last week, all those exams, and they're not even over yet! I've got art all morning tomorrow and then the higher paper for Maths, which is definitely gonna be hard!

But, yes, instead I am here, updating. I'm nice, aren't I?

Lol, okay, presenting _Losing Sanity_!

Disclaimer: Don't own beyblade or its characters. Capish?

ENJOY!

**

* * *

**

**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty Three: Losing Sanity**

BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

I groaned, rolling over.

BRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

Oh for God's sake!

I slammed my hand onto the alarm clock, hoping for the noise to cease existing.

BRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

What the HELL?

I wrenched my sleep filled eyes and peered blearily at my alarm clock. Its read 16:45, and next to it was my phone, vibrating like hell and practically shrieking at me. I groaned, reaching out to it and stupidly forgetting I was on the very edge of the bed.

THUMP!

_BRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNGG!_

SMACK!

I lay dazed on the floor, my pillow on top of me, my limbs tangled in the bed sheets, and my phone lying on the floor next to me, where it had landed after bouncing off my HEAD!

"FOR HOLY FUCK'S SAKE!" I yelled angrily, grabbing my phone and staring at the screen.

_Ray calling. Answer?_

Ray…!

Punching the green button, I pressed the small phone to my ear.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hey Willow, are you okay?"

I frowned, "Yeah, why shouldn't I be?"

"Well, you sound a little fucked up," he chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I just fell off my bed and my phone decided to be mean and fall on my head," I laughed.

"Ouch!" Ray said in sympathy. "Anyways, I was calling to ask if Holly was with you, seeing as she's switched her phone off,"

I inwardly groaned. Holly was at Tala's…

"No, she isn't, but I don't where she is either," I replied, detangling the bed sheets from my legs, and standing up. Looked like my after school nap wasn't going to continue.

"Oh damn," Ray sighed.

"Want me to take a message? I planned on meeting up with her later at the skate park," I offered.

"Nah, I'll just check Tala's house, she's probably there,"

Oh HELL NO!

"Well, where are you?" I quickly asked.

"At the café," he replied slightly confused.

"It might take you a while to get to Tala's house, why don't you just let me take a message?"

"No, its okay, I've got my car. Besides, its pretty important,"

"But—"

"Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Ray…!"

_Click._

No no no no no no... NOT HAPPENING!

I quickly speed dialled Tala, but his phone was switched off as well.

Okay…I have to get over there and warn those twats…

I tore off my rumpled clothes and pulled on a clean pair of black combats and a red hooded sweatshirt.

Oh damnit, I can't take the car because Ray would see it and think I'm there since Holly hasn't got her driving licence yet. So, that leaves me and my trusty skateboard Viper.

"GOING OUT!" I yelled over my shoulder as I grabbed Viper and tore out of the house. Practically throwing Viper to the floor and jumping on, I was speeding down the hill in seconds.

Ooooooh, Holly Tate, you are so DEAD!

I reached Tala's mansion in the record speed time of five minutes, jabbing the doorbell frantically. It opened to reveal the Volkov's head maid.

"Hey Kayla, can't talk, gotta save Tala's butt, nice seeing ya, BYE!" I rambled as I dashed past her and ran up the stairs. I just caught her muttering "Very nice to see you too Willow," before I lost sight of her as I tore down a corridor, skidded as I rounded a corner and bounded up another set of stairs. Once I reached the third floor, I turned right, wrenched open a door that led to another staircase, only this one went back down two floors, but happened to be the only way to Tala's room. Rather stupidly complicated if you ask me, but Tala likes it because it gives him some privacy and when he's leaving the house he can just jump out of his window.

Once I reached to bottom of the spiral staircase, I banged on the door.

"HOLLY LAVENDER ARIA TATE AND TALA JOSHUA VOLKOV, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW THERE IS GOING TO BE HELL TO PAY!"

I wasn't surprised that the door was opened almost immediately, when I start using middle names you know now is not the time to piss me off anymore than I already am.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Holly asked as she opened the door, her body wrapped in dark red bed sheets. As I walked in, I noticed Tala was sitting on the bed in his boxers, eyebrows raised at me.

"Me? Oh nothing, I just thought you'd like to know that your boyfriend IS ON HIS WAY HERE!"

That spurred a reaction.

"HOLY SHIT!" Tala yelped, scrambling off his massive bed and grabbing his clothes.

"He…he's on his way…here?" Holly repeated faintly.

"Yes!" I growled, hoping to God she would understand.

"Oh SHIT!" she wailed, grabbing her own clothes. I rolled my eyes as they both began to get dressed, while spotting Holly's school bag near the desk. I took out her biology homework, placed it on the desk, thanking the lord she had done half of it in class. Next to that I put the senior French textbook, opened at some random page. Place a few pens and notes around it, okay, looks like they were studying.

Dude, I'm SMART!

"Tala, help me make the bed!" I heard Holly order.

I peered outside, horrified to see Ray's car pulling into the garage.

"Guys!" I called, "Better hurry up!"

I turned around to see the lovers sitting at the desk, the bed perfectly neat. Walking over to Holly, I grabbed a hairbrush from her bag and gave Holly's messy chestnut brown hair a quick brush before pulling it into her usual ponytail.

"Bloody prats, the both of you," I cursed, shoving a tissue into Holly's hand. "Wipe off your lipgloss, its smeared," I ordered, before eyeing Tala critically. I shoved another tissue into his hand.

"You got lipgloss on your lips," I couldn't help but smirk. "Right, act natural, don't look like your studying too hard cos Tala isn't capable of that. Don't fidget Holly, make eye contact, and you'll be fine!"

Honestly, its like lying for dummies.

"Thanks Willow," Tala muttered.

I sighed, walking over to the window. "I wasn't here okay?"

"Yeah," Holly affirmed.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Thanks sis!" Holly whispered, as she got up and walked to the door. I smiled before vaulting out of the window.

Sometimes I really don't know what I'm going to do with those two!

* * *

"THIS ISN'T MY FAULT!"

"NO, OF COURSE IT ISN'T, JUST BLAME IT ALL ON VOLTAIRE!"

Oh bloody hell. That's exactly what I need when I get home from Tala's, isn't it?

"Well, it IS Voltaire's fault! We wouldn't even be arguing if it weren't for him! In fact, we never would've broken up in the first place!"

"That may be true, but you don't have to start enjoying it!"

"Well, I'm SORRY! Its meant to be the happiest day of my life, granted I don't even know who with yet and it kinda ruins it by the fact it ain't you, but if I'm going down, I'm going down in style!"

I can't even begin to understand what they're arguing about!

Sighing, I trekked up the stairs and went into Max's room without bothering to knock. Kara was standing beside the bed, fists clenched at her sides and the scariest thing was that there were tears falling from her auburn eyes.

Max, however, just looked tired. He was standing a little way away from the bed, seemingly angry but obviously just tired with the whole thing.

"Okay," I stated, announcing my arrival. "I usually don't like to intrude on things that obviously have absolutely nothing to do with me, but I generally draw a line when one of best friends starts crying,"

I walked over to Kara, once again bearing tissues.

I'm starting to feel like the tissue lady. If there's such thing as a tissue lady, cos it would be rather daft to make a profession out of carrying tissues.

"Okay, I won't bother asking what the hell this is about because it's none of my business, but please, for my sanity's sake, don't break up again," I said slowly, giving Kara a brief hug.

"For your sanity's sake?" Max repeated incredulously.

"Well, yeah!" at their looks, I elaborated, "Er, well, its really only because everyone used to think Johnny and I were perfect for each other. And pretty soon I started to think it as well. But in the end, we're not perfect. I got drunk, kissed my ex. Johnny broke my heart. And now we hate each other. But it made me realise we were never the perfect couple because there already was a perfect couple around. And that's you two. Change that, and you're threatening my sanity,"

Kara began to sob. I looked at her, bewildered.

"Oh, _Willow_!"

And she threw her arms around me.

Is it just me or is Kara going mad?

"Johnny is a-a tw-twat! N-not realising wh-what he has! Complete idiot!"

Err…

"Kara, babe…" Max soothed. Kara immediately latched onto him. "Hey, c'mon, it'll be okay. Willow will be fine, she'll hold up, and so will we, okay? Everyone will be perfectly fine,"

"I HATE LIFE!" she wailed.

You ain't the only one.

"Dudette, just keep smiling, for me? Smile?" I tried. I felt like I was talking to a toddler, but it worked. She managed a weak smile.

"Great!" I said happily once she had stopped crying, "You two keep it up and I'll be happy!" I saluted, walking out of their room, only to hear Max mutter:

"She's a weird sister,"

I giggled to myself and walked to my bedroom. Glancing at my clock, it read 17:30. I groaned; I had to meet Fred, Mirror and Kai for rehearsals in fifteen minutes. This day just never stops, does it?

* * *

To be honest, after crying over Anya and ranting and raving about how I hate Johnny McGregor, I stopped being depressed.

When Ryan, my closest friend other than Sky, disappeared when we were thirteen everything I knew ceased to exist. I became uncontrollable, slowly and definitely becoming so wild I was impossible to handle. Everyone hated me and loved me at the same time. Why? Cos I was Sandy. Brutally honest. Sharp as a knife. You touch me, you get cut. Violent. Hot headed. Strong minded. But more importantly, I did not care what people thought of me. My friends were almost exactly like me.

It's hard to fall back into that when your friends aren't around. The friends I have now wouldn't understand. But with Sky and Jamie and Danny and Mattie it's easier.

With Johnny gone, it's easier.

I felt an uncontrollable urge to do something very un-Cass like.

"See ya guys!" Mirror called over her shoulder. The rehearsal was over, and Mirror and Kai were leaving. Their relationship was obviously strong, and I get the feeling Mirror isn't playing anymore. That, or she's a REALLY good actress.

"Laters Mi, Kai," Fred and me replied, still clearing up the rest of the stuff we had used.

As we finished and locked up the theatre room using the keys Mr Connors had entrusted us with, we headed out. It was already eleven p.m. to my surprise, and completely dark.

"You might as well camp out at mine," Fred said with a grin.

"Yeah, I suppose I should," I replied, pulling out my mobile and texting Holly that I was staying at the twins'.

The school was only five minutes away from their house, lucky bastards. As we let ourselves in, I heard laughter from the basement.

"Hey Willow!"

I blinked in surprise but grinned. "Hey Sky, hey Nick!"

I was pleased to note that they were sitting pretty damn close.

"Whatcha doing here?" we asked at the same time. Laughing, I answered first.

"Too dark to walk home, might as well camp here,"

Sky grinned, "Nick just invited me to hang out. Got talking, finally noticed it was dark so we figured I camp here as well," she said, hugging me as I sat down next to her.

"How were rehearsals?" Nick asked.

"All right, Kai and Mirror were flirting like hell all the way through," Fred replied with a smirk.

"Yeah," I agreed, "They seemed really cosy,"

"Not surprised," Sky snorted.

Nick got up and left; only to return bearing beer bottles.

"YAY!" Sky squealed, grabbing one and shoving her hand into my pocket, pulling out my Swiss army knife. I rolled my eyes, stealing it back as soon as she was finished.

"I _really _shouldn't be touching alcohol," I muttered to myself, popping the cap off my bottle and handing the army knife to Fred.

"Eh, you can't stay off alcohol just cos of _one _mistake," Sky told me.

"Yeah, and it's sucky if we're drunk and you're not!" Nick chimed.

And so I got drunk. Well, not so much drunk, but tipsy. At least I was still aware of my surroundings and what I was doing. I think Fred was like that too, but Nick and Sky were completely trashed.

"They are so screwed," I whispered to Fred, resting my head on his shoulder. I was watching Sky and Nick flirting like hell, and Sky was practically on top of him.

"Damn straight," Fred muttered, smirking at his brother and my best friend.

I giggled as Nick whispered something in Sky's ear which caused her grin, stand up and grab Nick's hand before dragging him to his bedroom.

"So much for you and Sky sharing," Fred laughed, placing a chaste kiss on my forehead. "So where are we gonna sleep?"

"Duh, in your bed!" I replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Willow," Fred whined, "I can't just _sleep _in the same bed as you!"

"Why not? I mean, it's just us!"

You can tell I'm tipsy…

"Urgh, Willow, who cares if it's just us? It's a matter of principle. I mean, I'm a gentleman, I'll just sleep on the sofa!"

I laughed, straddling his lap.

"Forget principles," I whispered, oh so close to his face. His gorgeous ocean blue eyes sparkled like they always did, and I could see specks of silver mixed in. I could count each and every single freckle on his face if I wanted to. I could count, but I didn't want to, because his lips looked much nicer…

I had always wondered what it would be like to be kissing Fred Lewis. I was sure tempted to several times before they left for Europe. But kissing Fred Lewis is exactly how I imagined it and yet not quite that; sensitive, gentle, but fiery, burning passion, growing hotter and hotter and winding me up so tight I thought I would snap if I didn't get him, keep having him, keep kissing and touching his freckled tanned skin, running my hands through his wild, messy dark red hair.

In the haze I heard myself whisper, "Now will you go to bed?", and being picked up and carried all the way to his bedroom, where his soft double bed waited for us. I felt myself falling back onto it, Fred on top of me, hands roaming everywhere, skin against skin, burning desire as slowly clothes disappeared.

It was surreal. I was alive, truly completely alive, and although there was alcohol inside me, it wasn't there. It was real, controlled by me, by him, it wasn't drink driven.

And for the whole time I did not even once think of Johnny McGregor. Just me, silver flecked ocean blue eyes, a boy and a girl.

Just Willow and Fred.

It was the night I truly lost control.

* * *

"Sandy…"

Once again being woken up…

"Sandy, time for wakey wakey!"

Wakey wakey? Who the HELL do they think they're talking to? A two year old?

I wrenched my eyes open to find myself in a tangle of limbs and red hair…

Fred!

I have serious issues. 

"Welcome to the world of the living," Sky smirked. She was kneeling on the floor on my right, her elbows propped up on the bed and her head resting on her hands. She was grinning knowingly at me. "Had fun?" she asked with a wink as I sat up.

"Says the girl who got trashed last night and screwed Nick," I smirked right back.

"Touché," she giggled, getting to her feet, "Alright, c'mon babe, it's a quarter past five, get up,"

I couldn't help but kiss Fred softly on the lips before getting up, throwing the still smirking Sky a dark look.

"I get the shower first!" I grinned, running past Sky.

"Hey!" she yelled as quietly as she could without waking anyone up, tearing after me. Her long legs enabled her to reach the bathroom at the same time as I did.

We looked at each other.

"I guess we're sharing again," Blue laughed.

After a quick ten minute shower in which we threw soap at each other, we quickly raided the fridge for some food and came out with an apple each, and some milk. They need to restock!

"We should leave a note," Sky muttered, taking a huge bite out of her apple.

"Yeah," I agreed, grabbing some paper and a pen.

_Nick and Fred, _

_We got training, sorry we couldn't stay longer. Chat later, promise. _

_Lotsa love, _

_Sky and Willow_

"That works for the both of us," I said out loud, placing the note on the fridge where they would definitely see it.

We stepped out into the still dark and brittle cold air, the pinkish hue on the horizon was the only indicator to the fact it was the morning. Luckily the woods were in this direction so we didn't have to run like usual, which was a big help!

"So, how was your night?" Blue asked with a smirk.

"Great, brilliant, fantastic, need I go on?"

Blue laughed, running a hand through her raven black that fell to her jaw, flicking outwards at the tips. I've always loved Sky's hair; its tips are silver as well as having dark blue streaks.

"And how was yours?" I asked with an equal smirk.

"God, I don't think I've ever been fucked that hard or had that big of an orga--"

"HOLY FUCK SKY, STOP RIGHT THERE!" I yelled before she could finish her sentence.

Sky giggled. "Aw, did lil Cass get a lil grossed out?"

"Lil Cass got a lil grossed out because of way too much information about her childhood best friend and her one of her closest male friends," I replied in the same voice as her, only sounding a little more disgusted.

We continued bantering until we reached the training camp, grinning at Jamie.

"Hey dudettes!" Jamie greeted cheerfully.

"Hey!" we replied.

"Damn, you seem cheerful for two seventeen year old girls at six in the morning," Jamie looked at us oddly.

We looked at each other and grinned.

"We had fun last night," we replied simultaneously.

"What? Damn, I knew there was something wrong with you two!"

We both caught the meaning.

"Oh, yeah, of course! I would just so FUCK my best friend!" I said loudly.

Sky sniggered, "Willow, you did several times, remember?"

"I KNEW IT!" Jamie yelled triumphantly.

"…" I racked my brains, trying to remember something as fucked up as that happening. Finally, I recognised the double meaning.

"Oh ha ha," I muttered sarcastically. I looked at Jamie, who was still laughing his head off, "Jamie, you know she was talking about Johnny, right?"

"Sure, whatever you say…lezzies!"

"DIE!" we both yelled, tackling him.

"AAARRRRGHHHH!"

Punch. Kick. Yell.

The usual at six in the morning.

"ALRIGHT, I GIVE!" Jamie yelled his surrender. As we both smirked and stood up, he easily tripped us up, sending us tumbling onto the ground, sprawled all over each other.

"Do you have to the whole PDA thing in front of me?" Jamie asked with an easy grin, running a hand through his jet black hair.

"JAMES HEARN, YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

The golden eyed nineteen year old grinned at us before scarpering, as we disentangled ourselves and ran after him.

After killing Jamie again, or, well, just beating the shit outta him, I sat on his lap.

"Lets get this straight Jamie," I started, attempting to ignore the hands that were snaking around my waist. "Me and Sky are not lesbians. Sky is quite happy with Nick--"

"Damn straight!"

"And I'm…"

"You're what?" Jamie asked huskily in my ear.

It isn't working…I'm not getting aroused…I'm _not_…

"I'm with Fred," I stated calmly.

Jamie blinked. "You're…what?"

"Well, actually, I technically don't know, but if last night was anything to go by…" I almost burst out laughing at the look on Jamie's face. But the temptation was instantly squashed when he nuzzled the crook of my neck.

"You better find out then huh?" he whispered.

One of these days I am going to kill every hormonal teenage boy on this planet and save myself the trouble that I go through every time something like this happens.

Seriously, wouldn't that be so much easier?

"Jamie, I think you better leave Sandy alone now," Sky grinned, "Cos if you don't, she'll probably forget all about keeping herself on a lease and just snog you senseless,"

I blinked.

Did she just say that?

"I wouldn't mind," Jamie smirked.

I struggled out of Jamie's arms and jumped to my feet, giving them both very annoyed looks.

"Give me a break! Please!" I yelled, before whirling around and stomping off to find Master Takashi, ignoring their laughter.

Honestly, where's Danny when you need him?

* * *

Aww, poor Willow! Anyways, I better go do my art stuff. Thanx to everyone who reviewed, I got more reviews for my last chapter than ever, keep it up! Sooooooo...REVIEW!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	24. Insomnia Induced Insanity

Heya everyone. Sorry its been a while, I've been busy with the last couple ofweeks of school and reading Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince, which, I admit, only took me a day and a half to read so it isn't much of an excuse.

Anyway,I'll be going to Portugal for two and a half weeks in a few days, so Idon't think I'll be able toupdate, unless my laptop manages to find a connection somewhere, which is highlyunlikely.I will be able to write though, soI'll update as soon asI get back.If we're all lucky, I might even get another chapterup beforeI leave but don't hold your breath.

So, yeah, I won't keep you any longer. Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don'town Beyblade or any of its characters.

ENJOY!

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* * *

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**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty Four: Insomnia Induced Insanity**

Sometimes I think that the whole _universe _is against me. Yeah, okay, every hormonal teenage girl could say that but _seriously_, my life could not take a steeper dive into hell.

I'm back, basically, to where I started. Thirteen years old and lost. My connections to life severed. My link to emotions…gone.

Why?

That could explained with one name:

Ryan.

I haven't said that name since I was fifteen. Upon leaving America, I severed all ties to my old friends, save a couple of emails every so often. I only kept contact with Sky, who I simply couldn't help calling every day. Then she moved, her phone was stolen and I never heard from her again for almost a year, until she called to announce that she was arriving in a week.

Since I was two years old, there had been three little kids running around the neighbourhood, thick as thieves. Willow, Sky…and Ryan.

And then I turned thirteen. Thrilled to finally be a teenager. Thirteen. Unlucky number, they say. They were right.

Thirteen years old.

Ryan disappeared.

The story of my life. Thirteen years old, Willow and Sky. Willow and Sky were no longer there. It was Sandy and Blue.

_Sandy and Blue._

We lost control. Both of us. We sought out release, a sanctuary, and we found it. Different ones for each of us.

It was soon after I first met Jamie that I began walking out at night. Three o'clock in the morning and it wasn't unusual to find me in a fight with a couple of guys on a street corner. The adrenaline was exhilarating, the pain every punch and kick contained jolted life into me. Blue came along for the ride and sometimes she'd fight as well, but most of the time she watches, cheers, intervenes when it gets out of control.

It was through that I began to meet the people who soon became my gang. Danny and Chris were graffiting on the wall at my favourite fight spot and we quickly became friends. And then I met everyone else. By the time I was fourteen, we were a complete gang and our main goal was simply to find Ryan. And cause up a lot of trouble in the process, of course.

And Blue? Well, she found her own solitude. Where? Wanna guess? Go on. Okay, I'll spill. Self-harm. Did you expect that? Its not like my self-harm, which is basically getting other people so riled up they hit me _hard_, Blue simply got a knife or a razor or whatever sharp thing she had at handy and would slice the edge across her pale skin. Little nicks and cuts that bled little droplets of blood that dripped slowly to the floor. I never stopped her, only warned her to simply keep that sharp edge away from her wrist. I never stopped her because I saw her relaxed face with the silver connected with her skin, I saw her blue eyes light up in a way I wish they would always light up.

We were, in every way, out of control.

And why?

Because of one guy called Ryan.

Two years after I came back into control, I lost it again.

* * *

I rolled over, annoyed. It was one in the morning and I was in no way able to get to sleep.

Bugger.

I hate it when sleep slips from your grasp like water trickling through your fingers, no matter how hard you tried to keep it in your hands, it always escaped through the little gaps.

I stared at the lilac ceiling. It was scattered with glow in the dark stars and planets. My mind wondered pointlessly until it settled on Fred.

Hn. Fred. Okay, so I had slept with him. Did I really feel anything for him? Not really. Nice fuck though.

I sound _really _shallow, don't I?

Crap. All right, so I shagged him. And the next morning…

_Jesus_. Rebound guy, he says! _Rebound!_ Huh. Oh all right, so it was a little spontaneous, and even though I _have _wondered what it would be like to shag Fred Lewis, I never asked for it. I never, not while I could think about people like Kai Hiwatari. Heh.

Mirror Chang is one lucky gal.

Anyway. Fred said it was his fault for even letting me get away with thinking I could shag anyone I like without any regards for what they were feeling. Excuse me a second.

_Bullshit! What a whole load of cocky, arrogant bullshit!_

Excuse my language. Anyway, then he said that he was no rebound guy thank you very much. And he wasn't going to enter a relationship with one of his best friends just for sex.

So while I stood there, gaping at him in disbelief, he just grinned at me before cockily adding he had nothing against one night stands.

And then he walked off.

_What a fucking wanker! Arrogant, smug, cocky, big headed, egotistical…God, I love that guy._

Heh. Okay, I'm sorry. I'm rambling about Fred, when, honestly, I should be thinking about what the hell is wrong with me.

Hmm…

All right, I give up.

Just cure me of this insomnia _please._

What is this? A conspiracy against yours truly?

_BBBRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNGGGG!_

That sounds awfully familiar. Ooooooh, my phone! Hang on, who would calling at one in the morning?

Grabbing the small device off the bedside table, I stared at the glowing screen.

_Blue calling. Answer?_

Yay! Blue!

"Hiya Baby Blue!" I greeted cheerfully.

"Damn, you sound cheerful," my best friend grumbled. "What's got you all hyped up?"

"Oh, some insomnia and too much energy," I responded dismissively. "What's up with you?"

"The same, only I'm not exactly jumping up and down about it," she sighed. "What does it take to get some sleep around here? Never mind, wanna meet up?"

I grinned happily at the thought of some late night wonderings.

"Yeah, okay. Meet you in the park, under the cherry tree in ten minutes,"

"Great, see you then," Blue said, before hanging up. The dull dial tone sounded calmly until I jabbed the red button. I scrambled out of bed, heading to my walk in closet. I dressed in a scarlet tank top and black jeans, trainers and my black leather jacket. I bent down to stroke Sachi, who had made a bed in the lowest shelf out of my old white vests, before heading to my window. Climbing out was easy enough, and soon I was on my way to the park.

The park was dark, only random streetlights illuminating the paths. The cherry tree I loved so much was a little way down the path, not that far form my house. Stuffing my hands into my jean pockets, I closed my eyes against the gentle breeze. It wasn't that cold for a December night. A small smile formed on my lips, relishing the calm of the night.

"OI!"

So much for calm.

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE RUNT!"

I sighed, opened my eyes and looked around. My green orbs caught sight of a figure moving rapidly towards me in a dead out run. From what I could see, the figure was definitely a girl, probably my age. And behind her was the park's night guard, running after her and yelling.

Great. Just what I need.

"Hey Cass!" the girl called as she neared me. I blinked in surprise. Didn't I know that voice?

But I didn't have much time to contemplate as she grabbed my hand and, eyes wide, I was dragged after her.

"MI!" I yelled in incredulity, falling into step next to thepsychotic cherry eyed girl.

"Dudette!" she greeted happily. "Sup?"

I rolled my eyes as we dodged in between all the trees, leaping over thick roots.

"Well, I WAS gonna meet Sky by the cherry tree, but looks like that ain't gonna happen,"

"YOU DAMNED KIDS! I'M GONNA REPORT YOU TWO!" The night guard yelled after us, grinding to halt and leaning against a tree, gasping for breath. The two of us stopped as well, turning around.

"Well, that's a bit difficult considering you don't even know our names!" Mirror called, snickering.

"Why I oughta--"

I blew a large raspberry and the two of us collapsed in laughter again.

"We better go," I said through my laughter as the night guard began moving towards us again. I grabbed Mirror's hand, since she was having trouble standing up straight and tugged her in the direction of the nearest exit.

"Jesus Mi, what the hell were you doing?" I asked once we had gotten clear of the grumpy night guard and were standing on a street corner near the beach.

She snorted. "Nothing. I just couldn't sleep and went for a walk. Then that guy suddenly comes up to me demanding to know what the hell I was doing, and well, I threw a few insults his way and ran,"

I rolled my eyes. "Typical," I said, pulling out my phone. I speed dialled Sky and told her to meet us on the beach.

As we flopped onto the sand, I stared out at the small waves that lapped against the white sand, the ocean looked breath taking in the moonlight, its surface unbroken and untainted by the terrors that was currently happening on land. I noticed the mood had suddenly turned serious and I'm sure I pretty much missed the reason.

"Willow?" Mirror muttered.

"Hmm?" I said in response, lying down and staring at the stars twinkling above us, my head resting in my arms.

"D'you really think that…Kai loves me?" she asked uncertainly.

I sighed. I knew this was gonna come one day.

"I think so, but I'm not exactly him, am I?" I said slowly.

Mirror groaned in frustration, burying her head into her hands. She was obviously quite stressed about the whole thing.

"Willow," she began, without removing her head from her hands so her voice came out muffled, "I don't think I'm playing anymore,"

I smirked to myself. Figures everyone would realise that before she did.

"I know Mi," I smiled reassuringly.

She lifted her head, blinking. "Really?"

I laughed at her completely baffled look.

"Yeah, everyone does. No one holds it against you, you can't help you fall in love with,"

Oh how true could that possibly be? I never expected to fall for my best buddy either. Er, make that ex-best buddy AND ex-boyfriend. Boy, I sure know how to screw things over.

"So, you don't mind if I stop the whole revenge gig?" Mirror asked hopefully.

"DUH!"

"You're the best Sandy!" she squealed, tackling me in a hug.

"Yeah, yeah, I know—Sandy?" I stopped in mid sentence as I realised what she had called me.

"Well, yeah, I think it sounds way cooler than Cass," she said with a shrug. She frowned suddenly, "You don't mind do you?"

"Heck no!"

* * *

It was two o'clock in the morning and none of us were sleepy yet. Sky was humming some random tune that sounded suspiciously like one of Britney Spear's tunes (oh the horror!) and Mirror was…er, well, strolling along I guess.

We were near the mall, and since we've been wondering the whole town randomly for the last three quarters on an hour, I guess that makes no difference. There were no cars driving past, no people on the street since once daylight hit it would be a work or school day. The street lamps were our only companions, save the cats wondering around chasing rats.

In short, Taniana was dead.

I'm starting to wish we had stayed at the beach, so I could at least look at something pretty.

Suddenly Blue ceased the humming and said, quite flatly,

"I'm _bored_,"

Mirror came crashing down to earth from her mental escapade, probably involving a certain blue haired hottie we all know and love, and blinked her cherry orbs.

"Huh?" was her intelligent response.

"This sucks, the whole place is empty," Sky complained.

"I know," I said flatly. "I lived here the last two years, remember?"

"Well, sucks to you,"

"The mall's near here, isn't it?" Mirror suddenly asked.

"Yeah," I replied slowly, wondering what dangerous road Mi's mind was taking this time. Last time she got an idea like this we ended up Miguel Inoyez's house, stealing his beloved stuffed dragon, Mr Sparkles, and me pretending I was his guardian angel Phoenix.

The dragon, you might be happy to know, is now pink with yellow polka dots, courtesy of our resident fashion designer, Destiny Rider.

The next day Johnny told me he loved me.

Not even two days after that, we split up in a very dramatic way.

Funny how things move so fast. Blink and you miss it.

"Well, haven't you ever wondered what it's like when it's completely empty?"

Oh dear Lord.

"Actually, yeah," Sky reflected, "Sounds cool now that I think about it. All those shops…"

Oh no…

"Whaddaya think Sandy? Wanna take a trip to the mall?"

Oh NO!

"No point, all the shops would be locked up, not to mention all the entrances and DON'T get me started on the CCTV cameras," I said flippantly, while desperately hoping that this would put them off.

No such luck.

"Ooooooh, a challenge!" Sky grinned like a demented cat.

…I think I made it worse.

Oh, _Jesus_, now I've got two wacky teenage girls on my hands who want to break into the mall. Man, maybe I should've stayed at home and battled with my insomnia because my battle with insomnia seems a lot less daunting than breaking into the town's only mall!

"How the hell d'you plan on pulling this off?" I demanded my best female friends, save Kara who luckily wasn't here, cos she'd definitely have something very loud and vulgar to say had she heard what was running through their minds.

Seriously.

You don't wanna cross Kara Hiwatari (probably soon to be Tate, the way things are going with Maxie) when she's angry.

It's scary, okay?

Terrifying.

Although I am talking about my future sister-in-law and it may be that I'll just have to stay on her good side for the rest of my life.

Which will probably never happen since I'm so good at screwing things over.

Heh.

"—Azure taught Sandy how to override the security cameras when we were fifteen, she can do that. There shouldn't be any guards; the whole place is locked up without much security because this is such a small town without much of a criminal record. Me and Mican pick the locks and meet Sandy at east entrance…" Sky rambled, Mirror nodding and adding in details as they went.

Whereas moi stood there gaping at them like a goldfish out of its bowl.

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?" I shrieked.

Cherry and sky blue turned to stare at me, wide eyed. The shock of being screamed at weared away almost instantly and they both grinned.

"Yep!"

I slapped my hand against my forehead in disbelief.

I CAN'T believe I'm the sensible one of this group!

"Dudette, Holly's been rubbing off you too much," Sky stated matter-of-factly, "We used to this kinda thing all the time in America,"

"And how many times did one of us get arrested?" I shot at her.

"Er…well…a minor setback…nothing major…" Sky stammered. I smirked triumphantly at her.

"Oh lighten up Willow!" Mirror said brightly, "Have a bit of fun! God knows you need it!"

"Prats, the both of you," I sighed in resignation. The two wackos cheered.

How the hell do I get myself into these things?

* * *

"WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Oh FUCK!"

"Shit shit SHIT!"

"This is YOUR fault!"

"MY FAULT!"

"Yeah, if you had remembered to disable the alarms in the stores, this wouldn't be happening!"

"Stop arguing and just RUN!"

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

The sound of our feet against the marble floor. The unrelenting wailing that tore through the whole mall was deafening, ringing in our ears as we ran for our lives.

"WHO GOES THERE?"

"Shit!" I hissed under my breath. I could just hear Sky and Mi cursing as well.

"STOP! POLICE!"

_POLICE?_ Nah, you don't say! There was me thinking the uniform was a dead giveaway but obviously you don't think so!

"Argh!" Mirror yelled as she suddenly tripped.

We skidded to a stop, as I doubled back and grabbed hold of Mi's hand, heaving her to her feet and dragging her after us as we began running again. Sky was ahead of us; Mirror fell into step beside me but didn't let go of my hand.

I grateful for the lack of light, they couldn't identify us that easily this way. The local police tend to know every teenager with a criminal record in town and trust me when I say I do have a criminal record.

"STOP! GET BACK HERE!" there was several police officers on our tail; how they got there I don't know. Maybe there's some sort of secret passage around? Hey, that would be cool!

"Sandy! They locked the doors!" Sky called over her shoulder, noticeably not using my proper name. Wow, she CAN be clever sometimes.

"Fuck!" Mi groaned.

Sky halted, waiting for us to catch up. I looked around for an exit and grabbed hold of Sky as I ran past her, pulling her towards the staff room.

"Where the hell are we going?" Sky demanded as we all fell through the double doors chaotically.

Quickly bolting the door and trying to catch my breath, my eyes darted back and forth across the room, searching for the reason I had come here…THERE!

Sometimes I even amaze myself.

"The laundry dispenser," I announced triumphantly, before wincing as the police arrived behind the door.

"WHERE DO THEY GO?"

I signalled for silence and walked across the room. There was a metal flap on the wall, and pulling it open revealed an opening into a slide that I knew led into the basement. It was just wide enough for thin girls like us to slide down.

"SEARCH EVERYWHERE! WE CAN'T LET THOSE BRATS GET AWAY!"

We're right next to you idiots!

"You want us to go down there?" Sky whispered in scepticism. "You sure its safe?"

"Sure," I said, keeping my voice low and shrugging non-committedly, "I did it once—about two months after I first arrived. Kara and me snuck in here and had to get out before someone found us. It works, you land in a pile of clothes so it's a soft landing,"

"Only you Sandy," Mirror sighed, shaking her head and looking as if she couldn't quite believe she was in this situation.

"HEY! THIS DOOR IS LOCKED!"

We spun around in alarm, seeing the doorknob twisting and turning.

"SOMEONE GET ME A FIRE EXTINSGUISHER!"

A fire extinguisher?

What the—

_THUMP!_

Oh SHIT!

They're trying to break through the door. Not good. At all.

"Right, only one person is going then," Mirror said decisively.

"What?" Sky hissed.

"Yeah, what?" I said in agreement, staring at Mi in bewilderment.

"Well, by the time they get through the door--"

_THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

"—only one of us would've got down the pipe," Mirror finished.

"That's true," I sighed in defeat. "Okay, I say Sky goes,"

"WHAT!"

"I agree," Mi stated calmly.

"WHY? Why shouldn't it be either of you two?" she challenged.

"Because you're the only one outta all of us that the police don't know personally. And its best to keep it that way as long as possible," Mirror explained lightly, as if she wasn't about to be arrested.

"And that makes a difference?" Sky shot at her.

_THUMP! _

_CRACK!_

I flinched at the sight of the tear that had appeared in the door.

"Sky," I said in low, dangerous voice, "If you don't get down that pipe RIGHT now I'm telling Nick about your _habit_," I emphasised on the word habit, making the meaning of the threat loud and clear. I was, of course, talking about her self-harm thing, something she really doesn't want Nick to know about.

It worked, next thing we all knew she was climbing into the pipe, glaring at both of us.

"Good luck," she mumbled, before pushing herself down the narrow slide.

I shut the flap and flicked the catch. Sighing, I turned to Mirror.

"Three," she said, grinning.

"Two," I said in response, grinning back.

"One," we said together.

_CRASH!_

Several police officers tumbled through the broken door, landing in a heap of limbs. Someone flipped the light switch and we watched in amusement as they scrambled to get to their feet, tripping and stumbling all the while.

_This _is the lot that keep crime under control?

Oh, _puh-lease._

"Willow Tate and Mirror Chang. Should've known," said one of the officers gruffly, wiping away imaginary dirt from his uniform. "You're under arrest for breaking and entering a public property…"

We glanced at each other, and quite insanely, burst out laughing.

* * *

Hmm...I'm startingto think those two belong in a mental institute! Ha ha, well, thanks to everyone who reviewed and, well...

REVIEW!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	25. Confrontations

Hey everyone! I am back, and with an update! I won't bore you with details on my hols (it was boring) so I'll just get straight to the point.

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any or its characters.

Enjoy!

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* * *

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**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty Five: Confrontations**

"I'm _bored_," Mirror whined, leaning against the wall and wrapping her arms around her knees.

"I know, you said so thirty seconds ago," I sighed, throwing the tennis ball in my hand against the wall and catching it as it bounced off.

"But…I'm BORED. B-O-R-E-D. Bored. Okay? Got it? BORED!"

"Alright, I got it!" I exclaimed, purely just to stop her continuous claims that she was _bored._

Being stuck in a jail cell for two hours straight tends to drive you stir crazy. Being stuck in jail cell for two hours straight with Mirror Chang is just testing your sanity.

I chucked the tennis ball against the wall again, only with too much force as it bounced back over my head and straight through the bars, rolling to where the guard was sitting. The guard happened to look like he was only just about old enough to be allowed to drink alcohol.

"Oi! Guard!" I called, leaning against the bars, "Pass the ball, would ya?"

The guard raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that I'm here to make sure you lot don't get up to no good, not run around fetching things like a servant,"

I rolled my eyes.

"Dude, the ball is right next to you. Just chuck it,"

"Look, kid--"

"Hey!" I snapped, "Don't call me kid when you look barely older than me! My name's Willow, use it,"

I seriously don't know why I snapped at him, but I was riled up, tense because of the tedious time I had spent in a damned cell –its five in the fucking morning!- and he won't give me the goddamned ball!

Okay, so I do know why I snapped at him.

That's totally not the point.

I think.

Er…moving on…

"Right, _Willow_, lets get one thing straight here. You broke the law. You're in a police station. You _don't _call the shots!" the guard snapped back, snatching up the tennis ball and dumping it on the table in front of him.

I resisted the temptation to just start screaming and swearing at him, him and his bloody policies and his nice sapphire eyes and olive coloured skin and- BAD WILLOW!

"Fucking hell," I wailed, "give me a break!" with that said, I turned around and slid down to the floor, cursing my recent luck.

Suddenly a yellow blur whizzed past me, bouncing off the wall and rolling next to me. I stared in disbelief at the tennis ball, before looking over my shoulder at the guard. He was reading his book, but I saw the smile.

I recognised the fact I was to remain silent, and so I did, giving him little trouble as I continued to bounce the ball against the wall, smiling as I did so.

Finally, footsteps sounded against the hard concrete floor

"About time!" Mirror yelled, jumping to her feet. I turned around, seeing one of the senior police officers that had arrested us standing next to the guard. The book had noticeably disappeared from sight.

"Right kids—"

"Don't call them kids…" the guard tried to warn but Mirror was faster.

"We're NOT kids!"

The police officer muttered something incoherent under his breath before ploughing on.

"—we've decided that obviously you two are just two bored tyrants with nothing better to do than see if you can break into the mall at the three in the morning, so you can leave on bail, although someone who's immediate family and is eighteen or over must pick you up and pay a compensation sum of $250…"

"Can I call my big brother then?" I interrupted, without bothering to listen to whatever else he had to say.

"Yes, you can," the police officer said with a sigh. He turned to the guard who promptly stood up and unlocked the door.

"You stay there," he told Mirror, who threw him an annoyed look in response.

I went over to the telephone sitting on the table, snatched it up and jabbed in a number that was practically drilled into my mind.

Ring ring… 

Please have your phone with you Max…

Ring ring…ring ring… 

Please don't ignore it just cos its five in the morning…

Ring ri— 

"Hello?"

I smiled half-heartedly at the tired and annoyed voice that was my brother's.

"Hey Max," I greeted, my voice slightly duller than usual.

"Willow? Where the hell are you?" Max demanded.

"Hmm…would you kill me if I said I was in a police station with Mirror, having been arrested at three in the morning for breaking into the mall? Cos if you are gonna kill me, then I'll refrain from telling the truth,"

"WHAT?" he spluttered, obviously a helluva lot more awake than he was ten seconds ago.

"Who's that Max?" a fainter, sleepy female voice came from the background. I immediately paled.

"No, don't tell Kara! She'll tear my head off!" I yelped in panic.

"Willow and Mirror got arrested for breaking into the mall at three in the morning," Max told his girlfriend, pointedly ignoring what I had said.

Oh boy.

"_What_! Is that Will on the phone? Hand it over Max, that girl has had this coming for a long time!"

"What's going on Sandy?" Mirror called from the cell.

"Kara found out…" I muttered, paling even further.

"Oh _shit_," Mirror exclaimed. Like me, she knows that one should be very afraid of Kara Skylar Hiwatari.

"Right, Willow Tate," Kara started, once she had gotten hold of the phone. "Please explain what happened, and don't skip anything!"

The cold, demanding tone told me to follow orders.

And the unsaid _or else_ was ominous.

So I told her exactly what happened, from the three of us having insomnia to the chase in the park and then the whole breaking into the mall thing.

"So, Mirror and Sky wanted to break into the mall and even though you weren't exactly too thrilled with the prospect, you still went ahead with it,"

"Uh huh," I confirmed uncertainly.

"You were never one to succumb to peer pressure, Willow," she said quietly.

I winced.

"Listen Kara--"

"No, I won't listen as I've done nothing but listen the last ten minutes. Its high time you pulled yourself together Willow Tate, because the excuse of being heart broken is not going to be sufficient enough if this kind of behaviour continues. I'm serious Willow. You've been on a warpath ever since you and Johnny broke up, a warpath that's not only destroying you and every chance of you ever had of graduating from the dump called high school, but also affecting all your friends,"

I blinked, trying to digest all this.

"Kara, I'm not on a warpath…"

"NOT ON A WARPATH?" Kara shrieked, her voice full of anger. "What was that with Fred then, huh? I heard all about it Willow, you didn't even think about Fred's feelings in the matter before jumping him! And you weren't even _drunk_!"

"What's she saying?" Mirror called as quietly as she could, obviously noticing that I was getting paler and paler with every word that Kara threw at me.

I shook my head, clutching the phone.

"Kara, I--" I tried, but was easily cut off.

"And when you went to Johnny's! That was a ridiculous move on your part, just bursting in and demanding your stuff. Kai told me about that, Johnny was so angry he practically put a hole in his wall!"

_But I was upset too. _

"And now this! Y'know, I'm not surprised Sky was involved. That girl's been cheering you on all the while, her and _James_! James, I might remind you, is the reason you broke up with Johnny in the first place!"

It wasn't Jamie's fault…was it? 

Now she's the one on a warpath.

"Kara! It wasn't Jamie's fault!" I cried out, but I could feel the uncertainty churning in my stomach. Was it Jamie's fault? What if he deliberately waited til I was drunk and knew I would kiss him if he was so close, knew that Johnny would walk in on us? What if he did it to get me back, so this would happen?

What if he did it so I would be Sandy, like he always wanted? Because, as Sandy, I was his. Always his.

What if? 

"Wasn't his fault? God you're deluded! He's practically brainwashed you!" Kara almost screamed.

"Kara, that's enough…" I heard Max say.

"No, it isn't! Your sister has to see sense!"

"What sense! There's no sense to see! You just don't like Jamie, and you never have! Not since the moment he arrived and challenged me to a fight! Jamie's one of my best friends! Get over it!" I screamed, almost near tears at the accusations. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guard looking pretty stunned and Mirror looking concerned, but none of it registered. No matter what I denied and yelled and screamed, the burning insecurities that Kara had planted were slowly starting to grow and blossom.

"Willow," Kara said, her voice dropping. "_Jamie _is NOT your best friend. Danny is! Sky is! Mirror is! I _thought _I was! James is just a guy who turned up at the right time and the right place, being there when you needed him. Aren't I right? You needed someone to rely on, and James was there!"

My sharp intake of breath told her she was right.

How does she know? Does she know about Ryan? Why is it Kara that seems to know me better than anyone, including myself?

"A best friend is someone who will always be there for you, no matter what. Sky proved that by moving here just to help you get over it, although she didn't do a very good job of it. Mirror and Danny proved that by sticking by you, no matter what. Even Fred could be counted as a best friend, as he never took advantage of you even though you were practically offering yourself on a silver platter. One night stand is one thing, to use him as a rebound guy is another. Jamie has never done any of those; he destroyed your relationship with Johnny, he played with your emotions to get closer to you. He changed you back to what he knew and wanted, and never accepted you for who you were!" Kara blurted out, sounding agitated, trying to get her point across. 

The worst thing?

It made complete sense.

And I _cried._

"So, what? What've you done to prove that you're a best buddy?" I sobbed.

"Me?" she repeated, stunned at the question. "Well, what I'm doing now, innit? I'm not letting you throw everything away for a guy,"

"Right. _Right,_" I impatiently wiped away my tears, "Just tell Max to get over here with $250, I'll pay him back later, and…and…"

"And what?" Kara asked tiredly.

"Thanks, Kara. Thanks a bunch,"

And I slammed down the phone.

Jamie? What do you really want?

Is Kara right?

Is everything crashing around my ears and I've only just realised?

* * *

I climbed the staircase wearily. At the top, if I turned right I could just go straight to my bedroom and sleep for the next two and a half hours and get up in time for school. However, if I turned left, I could go to Max's bedroom and Kara would be there, and she would finally be able to tell me everything face to face.

But what exactly did I want?

Did I even think that Kara was right?

She's an excellent judge of character, and knows you better than you know yourself. She's probably right.

Either way, I'd have to face her at some point. The only question was: sooner or later?

Trust Kara Hiwatari to make things a hundred times more complicated.

Fuck this!

I turned and stormed into my bedroom, intent on getting changed into my pyjamas before going to see Kara, but I never got the chance.

She was already sitting on my bed.

There was silence for a couple for seconds.

"So, you broke into the mall huh?"

I stared at her.

"That must've been some insomnia,"

I smiled weakly. She stood up, taking a few steps towards me.

"Sorry I yelled at you,"

"Its okay,"

"Sorry I made you cry,"

"I deserved it,"

"Sorry,"

"Don't be,"

She stared at me.

"Either way, Kara, you were right. About everything. Well, I'm not so sure about Jamie but you definitely brought be me back to reality,"

"That didn't give me the right to scream at you,"

"No, it gave you every right. As my best friend, you deserve that right,"

She grinned weakly.

"We okay?"

"Yeah, we're okay,"

* * *

On the 15th December, it started snowing. Hard. Little flakes settled on the ground, trees, houses, everywhere, a white flurry swirling past the windows of the theatre room.

Nick was the first to notice.

"Hey!" he yelled, catching everyone's attention, which was a grand feat seeing as everyone was running around trying to prepare for the Christmas Ball, which was taking place in the theatre room. All the chairs had been removed to leave a huge space in front of the stage, where we would perform our play and the band would play.

"IT'S SNOWING!"

And everyone yelled and ran towards the windows.

Seriously, its like we all entered a time machine and ended up in sixth grade again or something.

"Whoa," said Kurt Richmond, a jock in my year.

"Ooooooh, it looks so pretty!" said a couple of senior girls.

"Alright, guys, we are sort of in the middle of class y'know," Mr. Connors called, his voice sounding amused.

There was a collective groan.

"Aw, c'mon Mr. C.—"

"But it's snowing! D'you know how rare that is?"

"C'mon sir, we've been working our asses off this Ball—"

"Give us a break would ya?"

"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Harriett said shrilly.

Thanks Mrs. H. You swung it for us.

Everyone knows by now that everything Mrs. Harriett says, Mr. Connors contradicts.

"Why not? You _have _been working hard. Alright, lets go then," Mr. Connors said with a smirk, opening the door. There was a stampede as everyone ran outside.

I grinned as we leapt out into the snow that had already created a thick layer upon the ground. Almost instantly, I was hit by a large snowball.

"What the!" I exclaimed, whirling around. I saw Mirror grinning, flashing me a peace sign, before chucking another snowball towards me. I ducked and grabbed some snow, punching it together into a snowball and lobbing it at the cherry eyed girl. She cursed as it hit her shoulder.

"Argh!" she wailed as another snowball hit her. Only this time, it wasn't from me. "Kai!" she yelled, running after the cackling auburn eyed teenager. I wondered where the hell he had come from; after all, he isn't in our History class. But looking around, I realised most the staff had obviously been feeling the Christmas spirit and had let out their classes early.

"Incoming!"

I let out a squeal as another snowball passed dangerously over my head, spotting Fred waving and grinning. Rolling my eyes, I chucked a snowball at him and ducked at his response, while still managing to get hit by another stray snowball.

"Bombs away!" I yelled, throwing a snowball at Kara. Her eyes widened, and she ducked hurriedly so that the ball sailed over her head and hit the back of head I knew all too well.

Oh…_shit_…

The redhead turned slowly, violet eyes landing on me looking immensely guilty before narrowing.

"Have it your way!" Johnny yelled, before launching a whole load of snowballs at me, one after the other.

"SHIT!" I cried out, running back and forth to avoid the snowballs that were raining down on me. Where did he get so many!

Several landed on my back and I noticed he was following me even though I was running away from where everyone was having a mass snowball fight. My feet crunched against the snow noisily, but it didn't hide his footfalls either. I suddenly realised there was no more snowballs, and I fell down onto the white substance.

"Ow!" he yelled as he tripped over me, sprawling over me.

I quickly gathered up some snow, rolled it together and lobbed it at the offending redhead.

He shook his head, throwing snow flakes everywhere like a dog shaking off water.

"Oi!" I laughed, almost forgetting who I was with. "You're acting like a dog!"

It wasn't a scathing remark. It was a teasing one…completely innocent.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically, making no desire to move even though he was sprawled across my legs. "Do you say that to all your ex-boyfriends?"

"No, I say that to all my ex-best friends," I said just as sarcastically.

"How many ex-best friends do you have? A hundred?"

"Oh ha ha," I muttered, "One, actually. And that's you,"

There was a pause. Johnny heaved himself onto his elbows.

"Its hard to believe we were best friends for two years,"

"I never would've believed that we ever became more than best friends a year ago. Goes to show, huh?" I paused, sighing, "I was afraid this was going to happen y'know,"

He stared at me.

"When you asked me out, that time in my kitchen. One the only things that was stopping me from kissing you on the spot was that it was risking our friendship. Look what's happened to us, Johnny. I feared it and it happened anyway,"

What was I saying? Stop, Willow, before you get hurt again!

"Willow,"

I turned to look at him upon hearing my name, but my vision was blocked by red hair and amazing violet eyes. Violet eyes that never lost its spell.

Before I knew what was happening, I felt his lips on mine. A gentle, caressing kiss, so unlike the last kiss we had shared, a kiss that was fuelled with anger. My eyes fluttered closed, one hand moving to the fiery mass of hair that was soft to touch. I felt a rough yet gentle hand cupping my cheek, and we simply lay in the snow, kissing softly while pure white snowflakes fell all around us. It was like a perfect snow dome…a perfect moment captured and saved.

And then, like all perfect moments, it was shattered.

"WILLOW!"

Upon hearing my name screamed out, we broke apart like a huge lightning bolt had come crashing between us. Staring at each other for a second, we gathered our senses and scrambled to our feet. Not a moment later, Mirror came dashing around the corner, red cheeks from the cold and running in the snow.

"Willow, you better come!" Mirror yelled, glancing at Johnny but refraining from demanding answers.

"What happened?" I asked, slightly breathlessly.

"I ain't got a clue!" Mirror panted, skidding to a stop in front of us. "All I know is one minute me and Kai are making snowmen and the next we see Ray yelling at Tala and Holly in hysterics!"

No…this isn't happening…

Before Mirror could get another word out I was running as fast as I could, Mirror and Johnny at my heels.

Why now?

What have they done? 

I skidded to a stop. A ring of people had formed around Ray and Tala, Holly practically sobbing as she watched the scene unfold.

"Ray, listen, don't do something you'll regret later…" Tala tried, but if the angry glint in Ray's golden eyes was anything to go by, he was only making it worse.

"Don't do anything I might regret?" Ray snorted in disbelief, "You've made a fool of me long enough Volkov, what makes you think I'll listen to you?"

I walked towards Holly, wrapping my arms around her. She sobbed into my shoulder, "Make them stop, _please Willow, MAKE THEM STOP!"_

I bit my lip, but resigned myself to bad fate. Leaving Holly with Mariah, I stepped uncertainly towards the two teenagers.

"Ray, don't make this any worse than it already is," I said cautiously.

"Are you nuts Willow? This is as bad as it gets! Don't try and fool me, Tate, you were in on this from the beginning!" Ray snapped.

"Actually, she wasn't," Tala muttered, "Not from the beginning at any rate,"

I winced.

"Shut your mouth Volkov!"

Ray took a deep shuddering breath, and I couldn't help but be afraid.

"Shall we get this over with then? Or shall we just let the rumours start? You know what they say, the truth sets you free,"

"_No_…Ray, _don't!" _I cried out.

"Should I tell them Volkov?" Ray demanded, ignoring my plea. "Should I let everyone know?"

"Ray, wait--"

"Should I tell everyone that one of my best friends is _SHAGGING MY GIRLFRIEND!"_

They say the truth sets you free.

But sometimes the truth is overrated.

* * *

Well, looks like Ray has finally caught on. And about time too huh? Lol. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and everyone who's still dedicated to this fic, even though I'm starting to feel like its, er, a bit crap. Oh well, never mind. I'll finish this story if its the last thing I do.

Review please!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	26. Love Me Not

Well, dudes, I'm back with another chapter. School starts again tomorrow and I've still got two more paintings and a essay on Osmosis (Biology) to do so I'll make this short.

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade or any of its characters so you'll just have to deal with a broke fifteen year old.

Enjoy and Review!

**

* * *

**

**Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty Six: Love Me Not**

"Ray, stop it!"

"No! This is your fault too Holly! If you hadn't acted like a fucking whore, this never would've happened!"

"You bastard! Don't call her a whore!"

I groaned as Tala lunged forward, fist raised. The next thing I know both were having it out there and then, as I stared in shock as Ray kneed Tala right where it hurts most before leaping on him and sending continuous punches to Tala's face.

"I don't bloody believe this," Johnny muttered, before rounding on me, "You knew about this?"

"Er…yeah…" I replied uncertainly, before wincing as Tala's fist connected with Ray's jaw.

"And you never stopped it?" he demanded in disbelief.

"Well, I told them several times to tell Ray, but, y'know, they always said when the time was right," I replied, biting my lip.

"You should've tried harder!" Johnny exclaimed, "Especially after what happened between you and me! Don't you ever learn Willow?"

I stared at the floor, then at the scene before me. Tala and Ray were still fighting, cursing and yelling at each other. Holly was sobbing and telling them to stop and on-lookers seemed too much in shock to even help out. Maybe Johnny is right. I should've tried harder.

I looked back at those intense violet eyes, before suddenly moving. I ducked a wayward punch and grabbed Tala, pulling him back. Luck was with me as Tala was so surprised he lost balance and toppled onto the snow. I stepped in front of him, stopping Ray from taking advantage of a momentarily confused redhead.

"Get out of the way," he snarled.

"No," I said calmly.

"Get out of the way before I make you!" he yelled, and for a second I was seriously panicked. I mean, Ray's strong, bigger, takes martial arts and REALLY angry. Not a good combination.

"No," the word was repeated but this time not by me. I blinked; realising Kai was next to me. "I know you're angry and I totally sympathise with you, but you touch Willow and I won't be held responsible for my actions,"

I smiled gratefully at him.

Ray looked at him disbelief. "You're defending that piece of shit?"

For one split second I actually thought he was talking about me but then I realised he was pointing at Tala, who was slowly getting to his feet.

"Yes, that piece of shit happens to be my best friend," Kai said coolly.

"I don't fucking believe this," Ray muttered, shaking his head. Giving us one last cold glare, he turned on his heel and walked off. Or, would've, if Holly didn't stop him.

"Don't touch me," Ray snapped, "Who knows where else you've been,"

Holly let out another sob but drew back, letting Ray finally make his escape. I let out a sigh.

Finally! It's over!

"Of all the people…"

My head snapped up, staring at Destiny who was looking at us in disgust.

Dest…?

"I didn't think you were like that Holly. Tala, fine. But you? I thought you had a little more pride than that,"

Spoke too soon.

"I agree," said Mariah. Mariam nodded.

And they walked off too.

They…my friends…they're…not even supporting us…

Can't they tell Holly's hurt?

My eyes closed in frustration, but they shot open when I heard more movement. Nobody said anything, but I knew the meaning as Ozuma, Michael and Enrique followed.

Eny? You too?

Bugger.

Tala groaned, out of pain or disbelief I don't know, but then looked at Kara and Mirror pleadingly. Mirror smiled reassuringly and walked over to Holly, pulling her into a comforting hug. Kara, however, bit her lip and looked unsure.

Oh God no, Kara, please, don't do this to me…

"I don't want to be dragged into this. I don't want to be forced to take sides," she finally said.

I looked at Fred and Nick.

"Same as Kara," Fred said instantly. But when I looked at Nick my heart suddenly froze at the look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "But they're right I've always been opposed to cheating. It would be against my morals to even accept this,"

Instantly my eyes were full of tears. Was he really doing this?

Nick…?

"Nick, don't do this," Sky pleaded, she was obviously on our side cos she knew me and Holly best, and besides, she always stuck up for me.

"Sorry," he repeated, his blue eyes filled with regret and determination. Fred, for once, seemed shocked at his twin's actions.

Nick? _Nick?_

He began walking away, away from me, from Sky, from his friends.

"_Nick!" _I cried out. "You can't…Nick…_please_…"

He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. And then he too walked away.

Why?

"Willow, it doesn't matter. We're still here, aren't we?" Kai reassured. But I shook my head, staring at Nick's retreating back. I blinked, and a tear escaped, falling slowly to the snow covered ground.

Nick…he's one of my best friends…he's stood by my side for so long…why is he leaving? Why…is he…deserting us…?

Suddenly I was pulled into a warm embrace, one so familiar. I welcomed it; in fact I clung onto it. Something solid, something that was always there, even though our feelings were unclear at the moment.

"It'll be okay," Johnny murmured. "Everything will be fine. This'll all blow over and they'll all come back. You'll see,"

Despite Johnny's words, despite his warm, safe embrace, I wasn't shielded from reality. Because reality meant that it wasn't going to be okay. Because it never was okay in the first place.

* * *

Hmm…sleep is good right now…in fact, sleep is good all the time…

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

Huh?

"BEEP BEEP!"

What the HELL?

"_BEEP BEEP BEEP!"_

Whatever happened to sleep?

"_BEEP BEEP!"_

That's when something very strange happened. My arm, out of its own accord, lifted itself off the bed and slammed into an object on the bedside table. Immediately, the beeping stopped.

Wow, SMART ARM!

Wait a sec…OH YEAH! I HAVE TRAINING!

Bloody hell, I hate mornings with a passion.

Slowly rolling out of bed, I walked blearily towards the bathroom, only to find Kara retching into the toilet.

"Kara! Are you okay?"

The blue haired teen groaned, and retched a bit more.

"I don't know what happened--" she retched again, "Voltaire just called me, saying he needs to talk to me, and then I became all nauseous and ran here…"

"Voltaire called you at five in the morning?" I asked sceptically, as Kara stood up shakily.

"Its when he gets up. It when he thinks everyone should get up. We mostly ignore that when we can," Kara said, stumbling slightly and grabbing hold of the sink.

"Are you sure your okay?" I frowned.

"Yeah, sure, its probably just something I ate. No worries Will," Kara said reassuringly before walking shakily out of the bathroom.

I frowned, but decided to drop it anyway. After all, Kara can look after herself.

An hour later, I was walking into the training camp with still sleepy eyes and yawning every other minute while munching on an apple.

"Hey Sandy," Jamie called, although I couldn't actually see where he was.

"Where are you?" I groaned.

"Up here!"

I looked up. And there was Jamie in a tree, looking down and grinning at me. He had obviously been doing a little climbing.

"Master Takashi said that the swimming thing is off since you've built up your strength again. He wants you to focus on archery today,"

Are you kidding me? I can't even think straight, let alone aim right.

"What's up with you?" Jamie asked curiously.

"Nothing. Erm, where's Master Takashi and Sky?"

"Oh, Takashi's still sleeping, he had a late night," Ain't the only one either, "And Sky called in sick, and asked me to tell you. And there's something up Will, I can tell,"

I gave him an annoyed look.

"C'mon Sandy, spill," he said, climbing down onto a lower branch and then dropping gracefully onto the floor.

I looked at him, and in that second a whole lot of words came rushing back to me…

"_He destroyed your relationship with Johnny, he played with your emotions to get closer to you. He changed you back to what he knew and wanted, and never accepted you for who you are!"_

"Willow?" Jamie frowned, walking towards me.

I stared at him. My grip on the half eaten apple slackened and it fell with a dull thump.

"_A best friend is someone who will always be there no matter what."_

No matter what?

"Sandy?"

"Why do you insist on me being Sandy? Why do you insist that I revert back to my American self?" I suddenly asked, looking up at the considerably taller Jamie.

He seemed taken back, his golden eyes clouded with confusion.

"Its…Willow, I knew you better when we were in America. I—don't know…I just…when we were in America, everyone knew you belonged to me, even before we started going out…"

"I don't _belong _to anyone Jamie!"

"I know! God, I'm _sorry_, it wasn't meant to sound like that! You're a totally independent girl and that's really great, and your popular, and very gorgeous, but even so I just…you were always there, y'know? Back in America…Jesus Will…even before we went out…I barely ever had to try because it seemed like where ever I turned you were always there, and I got used to it,"

Did he just call me independent, popular and very gorgeous? But Jamie _never _does compliments.

"But here? You're never around. You've got Johnny, and Mirror, Kara, Kai, Tala…where do I fit in Willow? Kara, one of your closest best friends, _hates _me. D'you even _know _how much I missed you after you left? _Do you?_" Jamie demanded, seemingly agitated.

I stared at him in disbelief.

Maybe Kara had got him all wrong? Maybe…maybe…he just…misses me…?

Oh, I don't know.

"Willow, I want you to know something," Jamie suddenly said, grabbing my hands and clutching them in his larger ones. I stared at our joint hands, before looking into golden eyes. "And you probably won't like it and I'm sorry but I can't help how I feel,"

That's not exactly comforting, is it? Oh God, I hope I don't lose him as a friend or it gets awkward between us because of whatever he's about to tell me, cos I love him. Really. Not anything like I love Johnny, but, y'know, mate-wise.

Jamie took a deep breath, looked me straight in the eye and said five words. Only five. But five words can say a lot.

"I'm in love with you."

Oh.

_Oh._

I closed my eyes, hoping against hope that I was dreaming.

"Oh _God_," I whimpered.

"I'm in love with you!" Jamie ploughed on, ignoring what I had just said, ignoring my facial expression as well, "I'm in love with fifteen year old Sandy Lily Tate and I'm in love with seventeen year old Willow Cass Tate. I'm in love with a girl who looks beautiful all dressed up and looks just as beautiful when she's just gotten out of bed with messy hair, sleepy eyes and a hangover. I'm in love with a girl who's constantly surrounded by people and she'd make every single one of them feel special. I'm in love with a girl…" he looked at me, his golden eyes sad as tears fell silently down my cheeks, "…who's in love with someone else,"

Oh _shit._

My ex-boyfriend is in love with me. My ex, who's been my friend for ages, who was there to pick up the pieces when Ryan disappeared, my ex-boyfriend Jamie…he taught me to live…

"I want you to do me favour Willow,"

I looked up at him, eyes widening. It was one of the few times Jamie seemed serious, and not cocky, or arrogant, or smirking as he teased me physically and mentally.

And he said the most surprising thing. More surprising than him telling me he loved me.

"I want you to go to Johnny," he started. Johnny? He isn't gonna say _him or Johnny_ is he? Cos…I really don't wanna lose Jamie. "I want you to go to him, tell him you love him, and that you don't want to lose him. Cos I know you Willow. And you'll be miserable for a very long time if you don't sort yourselves out."

Okay, NOW I'm hearing things.

"Promise me,"

"I promise," I choked out.

"Because, Sandy, I just want you to be happy."

Oh. My. God.

_Jamie…_

And then he leaned down and placed the sweetest little butterfly kiss on my lips, lingering only a second to whisper, _"I just want you to be happy," _before straightening, smiling oh so softly and then walking away.

Walked away.

Just like that.

Although, it's certainly dramatic enough.

Oh Jesus fucking Christ. I have nineteen year old who's about as hot as a Sex God, who's actually known to the police, and isn't scared to speak his mind, and has that whole rebel thing going on, and he's smart, funny, and a great friend…who's in love with me.

And I can't even love him back!

Ooooh, how I hate myself.

* * *

"Mornin' Will," Kara grumbled as she walked into homeroom. It was only seven a.m, on the account I had skipped training (can you blame me?) and who even knows WHY Kara Hiwatari is here at seven a.m. Shouldn't she have gone back to bed or something?

"Hey," I said shortly as the blue haired teen dropped heavily into the seat next to me. She looked just as depressed as I did.

"So what's got you all down?"

"Jamie's in love with me and I'm in love with Johnny who I don't even know where I stand with," I sighed.

"Oh. That sucks,"

"What 'bout you?"

"Voltaire's thrown me into an arranged marriage that's taking place on Christmas Day and I've only just found out its with James Hearn," Kara said in a depressed voice.

"Oh. Okay, you win," I answered automatically.

I blinked.

REWIND!

"WHAT?"

Kara sat up suddenly and let out a squeal. "SHIT! I wasn't meant to tell anyone!"

"You're…you're ENGAGED to Jamie?" I spluttered as Kara released a stream of swear words in a mixture of Japanese, English and Russian, and I only understood half of them.

What's slightly alarming is that that's not even all of the curses, swear words and whatnot that she knows. In fact, she remains the only person I know that can swear for five minutes straight without repeating herself.

Yeah, I know.

Wow.

"Look, Willow," Kara started once she had finally paused to take a breath, "I've been bound to this arranged marriage thing since I was three years old. My parents and James' were best buddies of sorts, and they signed a contract that I would get married to James some time between when I turn sixteen and before I turn eighteen. Of course, only a year later my Dad died in a car crash and James' parents moved away to Japan before ending up in America when you met him, so no one was sure if the marriage was to go ahead,"

I blinked.

"Wow, you knew Jamie before I did," I said in amazement.

"Yeah, only I had no idea that cute little five year old was James. Those days he sported his fathers name, not his mother's maiden name. And I used to call him Jay," Kara said slowly, her eyes clouding over with childhood memories.

I stared at her in disbelief.

Is this "Surprise Willow Day"?

"Anyway," Kara said, shaking her head, "I totally didn't recognise Jay—" Oh my God, she's calling him Jay now! "—because, I'm telling you, he was a lot sweeter as a kid. And his eyes were hazel then, not golden. Now Voltaire's gone and dug up the contract, and contacted James' parents about it, and they said yes, go ahead with it, and now they're gonna fly over soon for the wedding which is at Christmas, and Willow, I don't wanna marry James because I don't want to get married for another decade or so and even then it'll be to Max, because I love him,"

Whoa!

Oh my God, poor Kara!

Wait, maybe that's why Jamie had to tell me he loved me. Cos, he has to get married and everything soon. OH MY GOD, JAMIE AND KARA ARE GETTING MARRIED! IN NINE DAYS!

AAAAARRRRGHHHHH!

"We have to stop this wedding!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. "Kara, if you get married to Jamie, you'll both be depressed for the rest of your lives, and you so totally don't get on now, which will make it even worse!"

"Willow, shut up,"

I shut up.

"There is only one way that the contract can be broken," Kara sighed.

There's a way? WELL, THEN, DO IT!

Jesus, I thought that was obvious!

"Then why don't you--"

"Willow,"

I fell silent again.

"The only way the contract can be broken is if I got myself pregnant by another man," she sighed.

Well, bugger that.

"Er, well, I suppose your not planning on getting pregnant in the next week, are you?"

What was really alarming was that Kara just shifted in her seat.

"Kara?" I said in disbelief.

"No," she said firmly, "No, I'm not pregnant, and I'm not going get to pregnant for the next decade either. I'm not even seventeen yet for God's sake!"

I sighed in relief.

I mean, I'd totally appreciate a niece or nephew, and if it gets them outta this wedding, that's great, but Kara's right. She's way too young. Plus she's got her whole life ahead of her. She'll do great career wise, I just know it.

"We'll get you outta this, Kara. You'll see," I stated with conviction.

She smiled weakly at me.

Oh God, we so have to get her out of this. I mean, look at her! She's totally losing the will to do anything.

Jeez, and I thought the whole thing with Tala, Ray and Holly was bad enough.

* * *

"Hey ladies,"

We both looked up from our gloomy conversation, which involved glaring at the desks and bickering lightly about whether suicide was a good choice right now (Kara was so leaning towards the yes).

"Hey," we greeted Johnny dully.

"_Jesus_, what happened to you two?"

We both shrugged.

Yeah, I know, right pair of lively clowns we are.

"What are you doing here anyway? Its only eight," I asked, yawning and stretching in my seat.

"Oh, I needed to look up a few things in the library for my exam today," Johnny shrugged. "Besides, I need to talk to you Willow,"

"Right," I said, getting up, "You'll be okay, won't you Kara?"

"Yeah," she said flippantly, "Mirror said she was coming in early anyway,"

I gave my best friend a concerned look as I walked out with Johnny, before sighing and shoving my hands into my pockets.

This is not turning out to be a great morning.

I'm not looking forward to this talk. I mean, we'll probably start arguing again, and then not talking for ages, and yadda yadda yadda…

"Willow, I want to know where exactly me and you are going,"

…and EXCUSE ME, you were the one who broke up with me!

"And you're asking me? From what I'm aware of, you've been calling the shots since we broke up. Remember?"

Oh, Jesus, Willow, way to not provoke him…

But Johnny just ran a hand through his fiery red hair and sighed.

"I'm sorry Lils,"

If I had been holding something, I totally would've dropped it.

"What?" I cried out in disbelief, "You're saying sorry…NOW? What the hell's wrong with you Johnny? _Sorry _is just a word! _Sorry _doesn't forgive the fact that you didn't even want to hear me out, or that you completely broke my heart by telling me that you LIED. _Sorry _doesn't change the fact you almost _strangled _Fred to death, or that you have the goddamned nerve to kiss me whenever you want!"

I paused for a breath, seeing as, y'know, I am human and do need to breathe. Then I returned to my lecture/yelling thing.

"God, Johnny, you are such a JERK! And I'm bloody surprised I still love you!"

"I know! Okay? I know I'm a liar, I know I'm a jerk, and I'm goddamned SORRY. Willow, I love you. I've love you so much that when I saw you with James, it broke MY heart. And I lashed out. I'm sorry Willow, I'm so so sorry," he grabbed my hands, violet eyes pleading with me. And actually fell to his knees. Which is really, like, wow.

Well…

…now what?

Do I just forgive him?

Does he even deserve it?

_Not really. But I love him anyway._

And the next thing I know, I had fallen to the ground, wrapping my arms around the redhead in a tight embrace.

And I really didn't want to let go.

* * *

Well, they're FINALLY back together...and a little twist to make things more interesting. I'll be writing more on the Tala/Holly/Ray situation in the next chapter if you wanted more on that...but, otherwise, thanks to everyone that reviewed. Which a lot did. Appreciated, guys.

And, er, continue reviewing!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	27. Burn In Hell

Heya everyone! Sorry its taken me so long to update, I had so much to do lately, school wise especially. It didn't really help that I had an acute bout of writer's block, but I eventually got this done.

Disclaimer: Ha. Yeah, right.

ENJOY!

**

* * *

Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty Seven: Burn In Hell  
**

"Hey Kara…Kara!" I started as I walked back into homeroom with Johnny (grinning stupidly) in tow, only to find the youngest Hiwatari slumped forward in her seat, her head resting on the wooden surface of the desk. I would've thought she was sleeping or something if it wasn't for the fact she was sitting rather awkwardly on the chair and her breathing was shallow and irregular.

"Kara!" I exclaimed again, rushing towards her. Johnny was quick to follow, the stupid grin gone and a look of concern settling in. He gently pulled her into a more comfortable position, her head lolling back against his chest.

"Kara, sweetie?" I tried, placing my fingers against the pulse point on her neck. Relief flooded me once I felt the strong thudding against my fingertips. Slowly, Kara's eyelids flashed and fluttered, as the blue haired teen stirred. "Kara?" I encouraged, and slowly auburn eyes flickered open.

"Urgh," she moaned. "What the hell?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Johnny said, placing a friendly kiss on her forehead, "You scared the shit outta us."

"Johnny?" she said, looking up at him. Slowly, she turned and looked at me as well, confusion written clearly all over her face, "Willow?"

"Last time I checked, yeah, that's us." I joked.

"What happened?" Kara frowned, pulling away from Johnny's embrace, only to falter and fall back into the redhead's arms. We looked at each other, alarmed. "I only remember you guys leaving, and then, I dunno, some time passed, about five minutes I reckon, and everything got a little hazy after that…"

"I think you fainted." I concluded.

Kara scowled.

"I passed out," She corrected. "'Fainted' sounds like a pansy word."

Huh, she's definitely acting normal.

"Well, at any rate you shouldn't even be at school. You were throwing up this morning, and now you just fainted—"

"Passed out!"

"—so school's not really the best place for you to be." I finished, ignoring Kara's angry interruption.

"Bullshit. I can tough it out. I don't think it'll last all day anyway," said Kara stubbornly.

I shared amused looks with Johnny.

"Of course, we can always call Max and tell him you're ill. You know he'll panic if he finds out that you _fainted._" Johnny said with a smile.

All the fight immediately left Kara.

"I hate you," She mumbled.

"I know," Johnny grinned.

* * *

"That was weird," Johnny said as we left my house, having deposited Kara with Max and kept schummed about Kara passing out, just as we promised.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I wonder what's up with her."

"Ah, whatever it is, it'll blow over. In all the time I've known the Hiwataris, they have never been sick for longer than a day."

"Go figure," I muttered, as we got into Johnny's silver Jaguar. It was eight thirty in the morning, and boy had this morning been long.

After five minutes silence as we sped down the main street, weaving in and out of the morning traffic effortlessly, Johnny finally spoke.

"So, um, we're okay now, right?"

I looked at him in surprise.

"Dude, you are so under probation." I said with a grin.

We skidded into the car park, Johnny parking effortlessly. Just as he switched off the engine, he leaned over and kissed me softly on the cheek.

Whoa.

"What was that for?" I asked incredulously.

"Cos you deserve all the kisses in the world," he said with a bemused smile. "I thought that was obvious,"

Okaaaaay, I don't what happened, but I'm thinking along the lines of him being hit by lightning. Maybe that would explain his weirdness today.

"You've gone weird," I muttered, as we climbed out of the car and walked towards Kai, Tala and Mirror. "Totally weird…"

"Hey!" Kai called, "Have you seen Kara? She was home earlier with Voltaire and she said she would be here, but I haven't found her,"

"Oh, she's staying at my place today. She's feeling sick," I replied, greeting Mirror with a quick hug.

"Is she alright?"

"Oh, yeah, we reckon it'll blow over pretty quick," Johnny was quick to assure.

Kai didn't look altogether happy about it but let it drop anyway. He trusts us after all. And HE of all people knows how stubborn Kara can be.

"Hey, Will?" Tala started uncertainly, "Uh…how's Holly?"

I blinked.

Holly.

Tala.

Ray.

Bad.

Right.

Okay, memory shortage. Brain overheating. Way too much to deal with at the moment.

Oh, Jesus.

"Oh, um, she was pretty upset last night." I said, remembering the sobbing and the hugging and Mom flipping out on me, shrieking it was _my _fault that her favourite child was crying, and then the yelling that followed, along with the curses and swearing and Mom using her favourite line _I wish you were never born! _on me like she does every time we get into a fight and then finally Dad yelling at both of us and Max taking Holly to her bedroom and then me sitting with my twin until she fell asleep because she didn't want to be alone.

I had a headache by the time I went to bed.

Everyone's eyebrows shot up.

"You do _not _wanna know what happened last night, okay?"

"If you say so," Tala conceded tiredly, running a hand through his hair. "Is she coming in today? I mean, she's usually here by now, right?"

"Tala, calm down," Mirror said soothingly, "You can't blame Holly for not being her normal chirper self, can you? She's probably just caught a few more winks before getting up. She'll be here, don't worry,"

"Yeah," he breathed, as if trying to convince himself.

Everyone jumped as a shrill beeping filled the otherwise still air.

"Um, I think that's mine," Kai said as the boys dove for their phones. Mirror and me sniggered as Tala and Johnny put their phones back in their pockets looking extremely sheepish.

"_Shit!_" Kai spat, staring at the screen of his phone, re-reading the text message. "Who the hell does he think he is! School starts in fifteen minutes!"

"What is it?" Mirror asked with concern, placing a hand on Kai's arm.

"My _Grandfather_," he spat the word out like it didn't deserve to even be uttered at the old man's pitiful dying moments, which, by the way, it totally doesn't, "Wants to 'talk' to me. Says it's urgent. Although why he's resorting to text messages is beyond me."

"Well, that's stupid," Mi muttered, "School starts in fifteen minutes!"

"I said that!" Kai exclaimed.

"I know you did! I'm just agreeing with you!" Mirror retorted, rolling her eyes.

I sniggered at their light bickering, admiring how they had always held steady. It always had been Kai and Mirror, like Max and Kara, two pairs of rocks that everything circled around, ever changing, but those two pairs of rocks always stayed the same. Kai and Mirror.

Max and Kara…

They weren't exactly never changing rocks anymore…

Shit.

"You'd better go then," Tala said, bringing me out of my reverie, "Don't wanna keep the old bastard waiting."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll see you guys later," Kai said, kissing Mirror quickly, clapping Tala consolingly on the shoulder and giving me and Johnny a quick wave as he headed towards his Dodge Viper.

"SAAAAAAAAANDY!"

I winced, before my eyes widened as blue and silver blur slammed into me. Next thing I know I'm catching Sky Williams, who, by the way, is meant to be SICK, around the waist to prevent us both plunging to the ground.

"SKY!" I yelled, setting the taller, not to mention heavier, girl on her feet.

"Did he tell you?" Sky demanded immediately.

"Wh- how- hang on a bloody second! You weren't sick, were you? You were just giving Jamie the perfect opportunity-- CHRIST SKY! Why didn't you WARN me!"

"Erm, cos Jamie's my friend too and I don't rat on my friends?" Sky said with a frown, "But that's not the point! He told you didn't he? He did! Oh my God, what did you say!"

I glared at my best friend.

The nerve! Honestly!

"Is it just me or are you totally lost as well?" Mirror muttered to the two redheads. They shrugged.

"Jamie's in lo—mmmph!" began Sky before I slapped my hand over her mouth. I mean, I just got back together with Johnny, who doesn't trust Jamie anyway, I don't need it getting worse!

Unfortunately, Mirror just happens to be that fraction smarter than Tala and Johnny.

"James…whoa," Mirror blinked. "He's in love with Willow?"

Oh, great!

Well, lets face it, Johnny was gonna find out sooner or later. Better sooner I guess…

"He's WHAT?"

_SHIT!_

I take it back! Better LATER than sooner!

"Erm, it's not a big…deal…" I trailed off at the look on Johnny's face. "Eep!"

"Johnny, don't." Mirror tried. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"So what did you say, huh? What did you plan to do?" he snarled at me. "Take after your sister and juggle two boys like a cold, heartless bitch?"

That was it. My eyes darkened and narrowed. My hands clenched into fists. I was seeing deep red…nobody, not even the guy I love, gets away with making snide comments about my sister. _Nobody._

"Willow, wait--!" Mirror cried out, but it was too late.

THUMP!

"Oow!" I whimpered as Johnny cursed. I cradled my excruciatingly painful hand, wondering if it had been a good idea to give Johnny a black eye before suddenly remembering as to WHY I had given him a black eye in the first place.

"You fucking wanker!" I screamed in anger and pain, "Where the hell do you get off saying things like that about my sister! AND GUESS WHAT! Jamie WANTED me to get back together with you cos he knew it would make me happy! Okay? He just wanted me to be happy!"

I barely noticed him going pale or his eyes widening, I was too busy fighting off the tears of pain and frustration that were welling up in my eyes.

"Shit! Willow, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—Willow!"

But I wasn't listening on the account I had spun on my heel and was running, just intent on getting away from _him _and finding out why the hell my hand was hurting so much, but I found myself suddenly skidding to a stop. The reason as to why was clear when my eyes collided with golden cat like eyes that could only belong to one person: Ray.

"More trouble in paradise?" he asked lightly, his eyes never leaving mine. The whole world blurred from the tears that wouldn't fall, and I broke away from his gaze, staring at the floor. My hand throbbed in sheer agony as I clutched it to my chest. Next thing I know the tears were falling, silently making a path down my cheeks.

Then Ray gently placed a hand under my chin and lifted my head up. He was taller than me, much taller, and he was standing pretty close to me. And nothing could prepare me for the words that came next.

"Perhaps, Willow, he is right," his voiced lowered to a whisper in my ear, "Perhaps, Willow, you _are _a cold heartless bitch, just like your sister,"

There was something about the way he said it…whispered in my ear, his hand resting under my chin lightly, it sent shivers down my spine and incredibly enough, the pain in my hand doubled.

"Perhaps, Willow," he continued in a cold whisper, "You and your sister deserve to burn in hell for the rest of eternity,"

My eyes widened as he pulled away, his golden eyes blazing with hatred and anger and _God_, it scared me. It scared me so much that I stumbled backwards, almost losing my balance but suddenly an arm reached out and steadied me and I jumped in surprise.

"Get lost Kon," came Danny's cold voice.

Oh _thank you _God.

"It's a free world Evans,"

"Indeed it is. _Get lost Kon_,"

Ray's golden eyes blazed with anger and I winced, but next thing I know he's walking away from us, towards the gates where Mariah and Destiny were arriving.

"Sandy? You okay? What did he say to you?" Danny muttered, pulling me into a hug. I whimpered in pain.

"My _hand…_"

Danny eyed the hand I had clutched at my chest, before reaching out and taking hold of it gently. He squeezed really lightly, but it was enough for it to feel like hot knives were stabbing every inch of my skin.

"Ow!" I wailed, snatching my hand back.

"Looks like you've broken it," Danny said with a sigh, "How d'you manage that?"

"I punched Johnny," I mumbled.

Danny snorted. "Great. Nice one. C'mon then, lets get you to hospital,"

"But I don't wanna--"

"Don't be stupid,"

Is it just me or does God hate me at the moment?

* * *

"Amazing, Willow. The moment I leave you and Johnny have another fight and you go and give him a black eye and break your hand in the process," Kai said dryly as him and Johnny walked into the A&E of Taniana Hospital an hour later where me and Danny were still waiting to be seen.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered in a strained voice. My hand wasn't getting all that better, in fact, it feels worse than ever.

"Don't tell me you haven't been seen yet?" Kai said, watching some paramedics rush in with somebody on a stretcher looking like they just got hit by a car, which they probably did.

"Nope," Danny replied, narrowing his eyes at the nurse calling out someone else's name. A young woman got up, limping towards the nurse with what was obviously a twisted ankle. Honestly, who goes to the Hospital with twisted ankles anymore? I mean, that's just something you get wrapped up in bandages and rest it for a bit, its not as if you need professional help.

Kai snarled something under his breath before marching towards the receptionist.

Ha ha, feels his wrath receptio—owww, my hand!

"As soon as someone sees me I'm demanding morphine," I mumbled weakly.

"That would also make you totally off your head," Johnny added quietly.

To be honest, I can't even be angry with him. My hand hurts too much.

"I'm already off my head," I groaned.

"You're right there," Danny smiled.

"Right," Kai announced as he came back with a pleased smirk, "The nurse has got you down as next, Willow, so don't worry. You'll be seen soon. Danny, want to grab some coffees?"

"Sure," Danny said, getting up and stretching. "Don't move your hand Willow," he told me sternly before him and Kai walked away. Johnny sat down in what was Danny's seat and ran a hand through his hair tiredly.

"I'm sorry,"

"You seem to be saying that a lot today," I commented dryly.

"I noticed," he sighed, "Willow, I swear I didn't mean to say anything bad about your sister; you know I care about Holly."

I didn't reply.

"Willow Tate?"

I stood up silently, cradling my hand that was suffering badly. I followed the blonde nurse through several corridors, dutifully ignoring Johnny who was walking beside me.

"Look, Willow, I just…you and James have history, y'know?"

I looked skywards, wondering why the hell I was listening to this.

"Miss Tate?" said the doctor standing at her office door.

"Yeah?"

"My name is Dr Santos, if you'd like to step inside…will your boyfriend be joining us?"

I gave Johnny a disgruntled look who looked back pleadingly.

"I suppose," I muttered.

"What seems to be the problem Miss Tate?" Dr Santos, a brunette with warm blue eyes and glasses, asked.

"I broke my hand," I sighed, "And it hurts like hell,"

I offered my hand, which she took. Squeezing gently like Danny had done, the now almost familiar sensation of hot knives stabbing every inch of my skin came into action.

I whimpered in pain, for once glad that Johnny wrapped his arms around me.

"Yep, definitely broken. In several places in fact. How d'you manage that?" Dr Santos asked with a warm smile.

"I punched the idiot currently hugging me," I replied wryly.

"You wound me Willow. Literally," Johnny said in response, smiling.

"Lovers' spat, eh?" Dr Santos said with a grin. "Glad to see just a broken hand and a black eye—I've seen much worse. If you'll just come here, and I'll X-Ray your hand so we know the actual extent of the damage,"

I followed her, and placed my hand in some weird, metal machine. As light glowed around my hand, I turned to Johnny.

"Just because there's history between me and Jamie and he just so happens to be in love with me, there is no bloody reason for me to leave you, is there? I'm in love with you. You fucking know that, on the account I made it quite clear. You're too bloody possessive when it comes to Jamie and you gotta get over that cos he happens to my friend," I said, glaring at him.

"I know, I know," Johnny agreed with a sigh. "Its just…we broke up remember? Don't you remember why?"

"That was ONE kiss! I was drunk, remember that? D'you also remember the part that came afterwards? Y'know, when you broke my heart?"

"I was upset!"

"So was I!"

There was a pause as Dr Santos stared at the screen, which showed my broken skeleton hand.

"I love you Willow," Johnny finally whispered.

It was only the third time he had told me this, compared to the amount of times I had said it to him, it wasn't a lot, but nevertheless, my heart soared and my hand hurt just that little bit less.

"I love you too," I replied quietly.

"Well, now that you've sorted _that _out perhaps you would like to see how much damage you've done to your hand," Dr Santos said wryly from behind me. We grinned sheepishly at her.

Wow, that's MY hand?

I never knew it was THAT small. Seriously!

And…damn, no wonder it hurts so much. I have fucking _cracks_ in my bones…

"Looks like the only thing we can do it wrap it up real well in bandages and give you a sling. After that, its up to your bones to do the work," Dr Santos said, getting up and retrieving a roll of bandages. She took my hand and began to bandage it, which, unfortunately, hurt like hell.

"Can I have some painkillers as well?" I asked, grimacing.

"Sure, hun. I'll write you a prescription for some once I've done your hand. Then you can go to the chemists and get some, okay?"

"Thanks," I said with a relieved sigh once she had finished bandaging my hand, which still throbbed painfully. She gave me a sling and Johnny helped fix it into place.

"Okay," Dr Santos announced, coming back from her desk with the prescription, "You'll have to change those bandages every night before you go to bed and every morning once you get up. Try not to use your hand as much as possible, since it needs to be able to heal. These painkillers aren't to be taken more than four times a day, when is totally up to you, alright?"

"Sure," I muttered, getting to my feet.

"Great! Come back in a few weeks, so we can see how your hand is getting along. Til then, enjoy Christmas!"

"Bye!" we chorused as we left, walking down the corridor and occasionally jumping to the side as paramedics and a stretcher came whizzing past, yelling things as they went.

"I'm still angry at you," I told Johnny as we approached Danny and Kai, who were waiting for us at the reception.

"I know," he sighed as we finally reached Danny and Kai.

"Hey!" Danny yelled as I stole his coffee and took a gulp of the scolding liquid.

"Ahh, caffeine," I mumbled blissfully.

"Yeah, _my _caffeine!" Danny growled, snatching it back. I pouted.

"So you two okay now?" Kai asked with raised eyebrows.

I snorted. "Yeah, right," I grumbled, glaring at Johnny.

"She loves me really," he said with a grin, and with that, wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. And I couldn't help but respond, placing my good arm around his neck, deepening the kiss. It was only when we broke apart did I register the cat calls and whistling from everybody in the waiting room, which was enough to make my cheeks burn.

"You are such an idiot, Johnny!" I said.

"But I'm your idiot," he replied cheekily.

I couldn't help but smile.

And then he was kissing me all over again. And I loved every second of it.

* * *

Honestly, those two never know if they're coming or going. -rolls eyes-. Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed and waited patiently for this chapter. It might be a while til the next one as well, since this year I'll be focusing a lot more on my school work, on the account I've got GCSEs this year. What with rehersals for Drama coming up sparodically and Orchestra every monday, I can hardly believe I have time for ANYTHING anymore.

On another note..._please_ review. It would totally make my day.

Ciao!

Chiya


	28. We're In This Together

Hey everyone. How's everything? I won't chat long, simply because I don't feel very well and don't feel like rambling everyone's ears off. So, with much ado, I present Chapter 28!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

Enjoy and Review

**

* * *

** **Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty Eight: We're In This Together**

"Holly?"

My twin sister lifted her head and looked almost lifelessly at me. Her once bright chocolate brown eyes had dulled to a muddy brown and her once rosy cheeks were pale.

"Oh. Hey, Willow. Where were you?" she asked, turning back to the thick book in her hands. I noticed that last night she has been on the same page—she wasn't reading.

"I broke my hand," I told her, waving the glaringly obvious sling in her face. She blinked.

"Uh huh."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"I punched Johnny," I declared, "This morning. We had another argument,"

"Hmm."

What the HELL! Last night she was all in tears and couldn't stop crying, but now…now she's just totally emotionless! If I had told her a week ago that I had broken my hand, she would've gasped and fussed over me for a while. If I had elaborated and told her I had punched Johnny, she would've burst into giggles and told me that I never change.

I DON'T LIKE THIS!

"Holly!" I snapped, and she jumped, the book slipping from her grip and falling to the floor. She looked at me in shock, as I crouched down so that we were eye level, grabbing her wrists as she reached for her book.

"This is ridiculous, Hols. I know you're upset, and I know this is an emotional time for you, but if you shut everyone out, I swear to God, Holly, you are going to lose all the people who are on you're side. You hear me, sis?"

She blinked, then sighed.

"I don't know, Will. Ray hates me, I mean, _really _hates me. And now Destiny, Mariah and Mariam hate me, and they hate you too, and Eny's gone too, and he's your friend too and I haven't seen him talk to you since…and don't get me started on Nick!" she blurted.

It was my turn to blink.

"But that isn't your fault!" I exclaimed. "That's their choice- they're idiots, all of them!"

"But…Willow, I saw your face when Nick left," Holly said softly, "You looked like he had ripped your heart from your chest and stomped on it several times. And Sky looked even worse- just totally shattered. _I'm _the cause of all that, _I _cheated on Ray with one of his friends, _I _fell for Tala and _I _strung Ray along, and everyone else seems to be paying for it,"

I was silent, staring at my twin.

"I repeat," I started, "They're all idiots. Nick is, and Ray, and Tala, and so am I. We're all humans, we're all idiots, we all make mistakes. You made a mistake. That's all there is to it,"

She lowered her gaze and I slowly let go of her wrists. I stood up, watching as she slowly picked up her book and flipped it open to the page she was at, her eyes moving back and forth as she read.

And I knew there as nothing more that I could say. She's like me in that sense- stubborn. And so I walked out of the school library, leaving my twin sister to read a book and feel sorry for herself.

"Owww!"

Apparently I can't walk out of a room without walking straight into someone.

"Oops, you okay there Cass?" came the very familiar faint Irish accent.

"Oh, hey Fred. Yeah, I'm fine, sorry about that," I said, looking up at ocean blue eyes and messy red hair.

"No worries. You sure you're okay? You seem a little depressed," Fred said, looking worried.

"I'm fine," I insisted, "Its not me you should be worried about anyway--"

"Yes, it damn right is!" he suddenly interrupted angrily, "What happened to your hand!"

I laughed, looking down at the sling and the bandaged hand that was peaking out.

"I broke it," I said with a laugh, "Silly, really,"

"Silly?" Fred repeated incredulously. "Okaaaaay. Me thinks you a little crazy."

"Me thinks this is a stupid way to talk," I retorted with a grin. It's amazing how being in Fred's company for less than five minutes always brought a smile to my face, no matter how bad I felt.

"How did you break it?" Fred suddenly asked seriously.

"Me thinks me should not tell you cos me thinks you may get a little angry," I replied, my eyes dancing as he pouted at me, "But me love you and me thinks that I should tell you anyway cos me thinks you will listen to everything I have to say and not run off in anger like you did last time." I said sternly, my own way of telling him not to blow a casket.

"Okay!" he agreed happily.

I looked at him suspiciously, but told him how I broke my hand anyway. True to his word, he listened and although he got a bit angry, allowed me to placate him.

"I don't know what you see in him anymore Will," Fred said as we made our way outside, since it was lunchtime and that was where everyone was bound to be, "I mean, you were so much better as friends. He didn't hurt you when you were friends,"

I just smiled up at him, and said, "I can't help who I love,"

"I guess you can't," he conceded, grinning at me. "Just like I can't help love you even though you snore, eat too fast and have too many witty answers for your own good,"

"I do NOT snore!" I protested indignantly.

"Yes you do!" he smirked.

I gave him a look of disbelief before running to Tala.

"Do I snore!" I asked the redhead, who gave me a weird look.

"I don't know, Will, I haven't been in the same bed as you since…" he trailed off, and I knew he was talking about that night when we had both been drunk and I had consequently lost my virginity.

"Right," I grumbled, looking around. I spotted Kai and immediately went for him, after all, the amount of times I fall asleep in his lap when we stayed up late watching scary movies is incredible.

"Kai!"

"Willow, hey, listen I need to talk to you--"

"Do I snore?" I said, interrupting whatever it was he was saying. I got another weird look –it's just a question for God's sake!- before receiving an answer.

"Erm, I guess so--"

I gave him a stony glare as Fred cracked up in laughter behind me.

"—but their only light ones, you know, deep breaths!" Kai quickly amended, as Mirror joined Fred in laughter.

"You're hopeless. Where's Johnny? He'd tell me!" and I was off again, searching for my boyfriend, as Kai called after me but I just responded with a 'Talk to you later!'.

"Maybe I shouldn't've mentioned it," Fred mused as he followed me around the school building, me intent on finding my boyfriend.

"Maybe you should just shut up!" I threw at him over my shoulder. All I received was a cheeky grin and a flash of his humour filled ocean blue eyes.

"Maybe you're a little cranky!" Fred retorted, laughing as I whirled on the spot and glared at him, realising I couldn't use my hand and therefore couldn't hit him.

"Maybe you're just taking the piss!"

"Maybe your PMSing," Fred stated with a very serious look.

I gave him an annoyed look before walking again, trying to catch a flash of red hair and violet eyes.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Fred asked as he fell into step with me, smiling his prankster's smile.

That prankster's smile is absolutely amazing, not only does it look great but it makes you either look innocent or nobody wants to say no to you, which is damn right awful if you're on the receiving end.

"Hn." I said in response, quickly turning away.

"You sound like Kai," he remarked.

"Yeah, yeah," I said flippantly.

"Yup, like Kai. Only Kai doesn't PMS. He just gets cranky for no reason,"

"OKAY ALREADY!" I yelled, as Fred burst out laughing. "I ADMIT IT! PMSING HERE!"

I huffed and walked off, only to lifted off my feet.

"Fred!"

"Uh huh?"

"PUT ME DOWN!"

"Er…nope."

"_Fred!_"

"That's my name."

"If you wanna get technical about it, your name is actually Frederick Lewis,"

"Don't call me that."

"Frederick! Frederick! Frederick!"

"FINE!"

Finally, two feet firmly on the ground.

"I hate that name." Fred grumbled, glaring at me.

"I know," I grinned, spotting my boyfriend with Michael and smoking a cigarette. I grabbed Fred's arm and dragged him over there, Fred protesting all the way. Fred and Johnny haven't said a single syllable to each other since they had that fight where Johnny nearly strangled Fred to death, which I'm telling you, is one thing I'll never forgive Johnny for.

"Johnny! Hey, Mike!" I greeted happily.

"Mood swing." Fred mumbled under his breath. I whacked him over the head with my good hand. "Owww!"

"Serves you right," I muttered, before turning to my boyfriend who was watching us with raised eyebrows.

"Fred says I snore." I stated, getting straight to the point.

Johnny sighed and dropped his cigarette stub to the floor, black boots crushing it easily. "You don't snore," he reassured me, "You just breath deeply, that's all."

"SEE!" I yelled as Fred, who winced and clapped his hands over his ears.

"You yell loud," he mumbled.

"Get used to it buddy!"

"By the way, Will," Fred started, smirking, "I only said you snore cos it would wind you up,"

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE DEAD FREDERICK LEWIS!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

* * *

"WILLOW!" 

I groaned, stopped walking and waited patiently for Kai to catch up with me.

"Yeah, you needed to talk to me, right?" I sighed as soon as the auburn eyed hottie had fallen into step with me.

"Come with me to Oliver's?" he asked as we walked into the car park.

"Erm…" I hesitated, thinking that I should probably go to Master Takashi and tell him I couldn't train cos of my hand, and possibly find Jamie and hug him to death. Well, that or make sure Holly gets home, no wait, she's going to Tala's place.

"Its really important Willow," he said, noting my hesitation, "Its about Kara and Max,"

THAT got my attention.

"Oh," I said, "Lead the way then,"

We arrived at Oliver's seaside café five minutes later, and we settled ourselves in one of the two seater tables hidden in a corner.

"One strawberry milkshake and chocolate ice cream for the Mademoiselle," Oliver smiled, placing my two favourite edible things in front of me, "And Tiramisu for the Monsieur." He placed some yummy looking cake in front of Kai, who licked his lips in anticipation. "I'll see you two later, it's been a busy day and it doesn't look like it's going to settle down all too soon,"

"Thanks Ollie," I smiled gratefully, "We'll see you later,"

"I don't know exactly how to tell you this so I'll be blunt," Kai sighed, "Voltaire's thrown Kara in arranged marriage to James Hearn,"

"I know," I said flatly, shivering at the coldness of my chocolate ice cream, "Kara let it slip this morning," I elaborated.

He rolled his eyes and took a bite of his Tiramisu, which I totally plan on stealing some once I've demolished my ice cream, which happens to be disappearing very quickly.

"We have to do _something _Willow. I don't want to see Kara depressed, it gets _me _depressed,"

This happens to be his way of saying: "I'll be damned if my little sister gets hurt cos of this."

"Kara's already told me the loophole--"

Kai looked at me excitedly.

"—but it happens to be one we can't really work with." I finished, as Kai's look of excitement was wiped away faster than you could say "Damnit."

"So what _is _the loophole?"

"If she gets pregnant by another guy," I sighed, thinking that was ONE loophole that wouldn't be exploited any time soon. Well, not soon enough anyway. It was a total of nine days away from Christmas, the day that the wedding takes place.

"Bullocks," Kai snarled under his breath, "Well that's it, isn't it?"

"_What?_" I cried out, "You can't seriously be thinking of giving up on them ALREADY?"

"No," he said simply, finishing off his tiramisu before I could get my hands on it, the evil smart ass… "We just need some help. And I know just where to find it,"

I blinked, taking in his "I'm planning something great" grin. That's when the image of two redheaded pranksters came floating into my mind.

"So," I said casually, leaning back in my chair and eyeing the blue haired teen sitting opposite me, "Will this plan of yours include total chaos?"

* * *

_To: Dessy, Mariah, Mariam _

___From: Willow _

___Subject: IMPORTANT!_

___Okay. I know we've got differences at moment revolving around my sister and two certain boys, but we've got something bigger happening that will demand EVERYONE'S help._

___This has nothing to do Holly, Ray or Tala, so even though I know you feel very motivated at the moment to hate my sister and Tala, you needn't worry about having to change your views. While it hurts my own friends have turned their backs on us, I really don't want it to come in the way of helping friends that have nothing to do with it. _

___I can't tell right now what the hell is going on, I promised Kai and Kara that. I will, however, plead you to come to the Twins' Basement tonight at eight p.m. If you're not there by quarter past, we'll proceed without you. But we really need all the help we can get._

___This is no joke. As someone who would like to still consider you a friend, I'm asking for your help on behalf of those involved._

___I hope to see you tonight,_

___Willow Cass Tate_

___--_

___The hardest battle you'll ever fight is the battle to just be you.

* * *

_

___To: Holly , Blue, Mattie, Danny , Jamie _

___From: Sandy _

___Subject: IMPORTANT!_

___Hey guys. Okay, not beating around the bush and saying it straight. We need help, big time. It's to do with my bro, Kara and Jamie. Yes, you, Jamie. I finally get why you deemed it necessary to confess on this day of all days._

___Meet me at the Twin's Basement at eight p.m. tonight. All will be explained there. Another thing- the Holly, Tala, Ray thing has to be dropped for a while during the time we're working on this. We need all the help we can get. So that means no depressive look tonight Hols. We need you in top form and cogs whirring in your head._

___Hopefully, see y'all tonight._

___Sandy Lily_

___--_

___The hardest battle you'll ever have to fight is the battle to just be you.

* * *

_

___To: Mi _

___From: Sandy _

___Subject: Meeting tonight_

___Heya Mi. Do us a favour? Come to my place at seven tonight? I know the meetings at eight, and Kai's taking us in his car, but I don't trust him enough to help me break it to Kara and Max that we're telling everyone and we're gonna get them out of this mess, since it looks like they've both given up already. So, help me break it to them, please?_

___Sandy_

___--_

___The hardest battle you'll ever have to fight is the battle to just be you.

* * *

_

___To: Sandy _

___From: Mi _

___Subject: Re: Meeting Tonight_

___Are you insane? They'll kill us!_

___Can't we just plot behind their backs and hope for the best, and, y'know, when they find out, it'll be too late cos we'll have the good news that Kara doesn't have to marry James and that the couple of the year can go on being the couple of the year, and maybe even get married themselves in a few short years._

___Please?_

___Or, wait, on the other hand, dying at the hand of Kara's wrath is a pretty dignified way to go, right? Cos, hey, lets face it, no one else is gonna survive her wrath, save maybe Max. But he's got an unfair advantage; she's in love with him!_

___Anyway, yes, I'll be there. Anything for my bestest best buddy, female wise._

___Another thing. I think you should know that when Kai told me about the arranged marriage an hour ago, I punched him and told him not to joke like that. So now your neighbour is sporting a black eye._

___Really, I didn't mean to. Honest._

___Mi_

___--_

___Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

* * *

_

___To: Nick, Fred, Kai _

___From: Willow _

___Subject: Meeting tonight_

___Okay, I've sent out emails to my lot. Kai, you done the guys? Twins…PLEASE TELL ME THERE'S NO DIRTY UNDERWEAR LYING AROUND THE BASEMENT!_

___Another thing. I hope you have drinks that involve the non-alcohol variety. Surprisingly, I think we may need clear minds for this one. Also, we might be there a while so make sure you topped up with coffee or anything with caffeine._

___Oh, and Kai? How's the eye?_

___Willow – sniggering like mad._

___--_

___The hardest battle you'll ever have to fight is the battle to just be you.

* * *

_

___To: Johnny _

___From: Willow _

___Subject: Tonight_

___Hiya babe, just checking we're all okay for tonight. I know you're not exactly the fondest person of the twins, but looks like my bro and best buddies are relying on us for on this one, even of they don't know it yet._

___Love, _

___Willow._

___--_

___The hardest battle you'll ever have to fight is the battle to just be you.

* * *

_

___To: Willow _

___From: Johnny _

___Subject: Re: Tonight_

___Of course I'll be there. Anything for you. And hey, Max is a good guy. He definitely deserves better than this, and so does Kara._

___I can imagine you waiting patiently right now with an evil look in your eye._

___Alright! James deserves better too!_

___Oh, and don't worry, I'll be on my best behaviour tonight with the twins. Its not as if I hate them either; Fred was doing a good thing, sticking up for you. Even if it was to me._

___I'm gonna shut up now incase you start wondering what the hell I've been taking._

___Love, _

___Johnny.

* * *

_

___To: Johnny _

___From: Willow _

___Subject: Re: Re: Tonight_

___What HAVE you been taking!_

___--_

___The hardest battle you'll ever have to fight is the battle to just be you.

* * *

_

"It may be a possibility that you'll have to leave the country," Kai frowned.

"No," Max said sharply, "I refuse to allow Voltaire drive us apart,"

Kara smiled up at my brother, grasping his hand and resting her head against his shoulder.

I sighed, running a hand through my jet black hair.

"Couldn't we just say 'I object!' when the time comes?" I asked the teens gathered around in the twin's basement.

"If Voltaire is how you say he is, it won't work," Destiny said from her place in between Nick and Mariah. Luckily, everyone we had asked had shown up and agreed to set aside differences for the moment.

"What we need," Holly said slowly, who was sitting next to me, "Is a plan…" she sat up straight, her eyes wide, "And I think I have one,"

I grinned at my sister.

"I like plans," I declared.

"I think you'll like this one too," Holly continued with a look in her eyes that was a tad feral.

"Why am I worried?" Jamie wondered aloud.

"Cos you have the feeling something very explosive is going to happen?" Mirror offered.

"Yeah, that'll be it."

* * *

_Just wanted to say thanks to the few people who reviewed._

_Ciao everyone,_

_Chiya_


	29. Catching A Bullet

Hey everyone. Well, I'm back with the new installment, and hopefully you'll enjoy it. I must've spent about three hours writing that last half of it today, and I have yet another exam tomorrow, which luckily I can't really revise for. So I'm on a break. Anyway, sorry about the wait, but after Monday I'm on Xmas hols, so hopefully I'll be able to get another chapter up then. Well, I have a feeling you'll be demanding the next chapter anyway by the time you finished this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own beyblade, or, unfortunately Kai Hiwatari and Johnny McGregor. Honestly, do I look like I'd be here if I did?

ENJOY AND REVIEW!

**

* * *

Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Catching A Bullet**

Time flew by. The Victorian Christmas Ball and the play were both a success (it was so hilarious to watch Kai _pretend _to shoot Fred and for Fred to die dramatically and rather enthusiastically in my arms. In fact, it was so hilarious, while most people thought I was crying my eyes out, I was actually laughing so hard, I cried. I grinned in amusement when complimented later for my realistic acting).

When school let out for the holidays, Holly and Danny worked their asses off trying to perfect the plan, considering they're the brains of the group. And Danny is that _little_ wilder than Holly (little? Sorry, I mean, waaaaay more…) so he was definitely the one to add the danger to the plan. And c'mon, the plan wouldn't exist if it weren't dangerous.

The Twins' Basement had become our official HQ and we spent more time there, discussing things and working on our mini projects than we did at our own homes. Danny spent half his life pouring over a map of Taniana and blueprints of the church Jamie and Kara were getting married in than he did flirting with Mattie, and that's saying something. Although he manages to incorporate the two together when Mattie slips into his lap bearing coffee and kisses him on the cheek.

Sometimes I wonder if Johnny and me were ever that revolting and incredibly frustrating. Get together ALREADY!

Holly became more focused on the plan too, therefore pushing aside any depressing thoughts. But most of the time I ended up napping on the sofa in her room anyway, making it easier for me to wake her up when she had a nightmare, which was nearly every night.

I worry about my sister all the time now. Her and Kara, who seems to throw up every morning and occasionally gets all snappy. It's like she's constantly PMSing, only with added vomiting. Scary.

And with the added stress of being married within the week? Yeah, it only gets her even more snappish.

Is it any wonder the only person who dares go near her is Max?

"Willow, we're out of coffee again!"

It's three days before Christmas, and I still need to buy everyone presents. The only person I have sorted is Fred, and that's from a chance encounter with the perfect present ever a few weeks ago.

"Why do I have to get it?"

"You don't. Just tell Fred!"

I rolled my eyes and clambered to my feet. All around me were piles of papers of legal shit since me and Fred were working on trying to find _another _loophole in the contract. Kai had managed to sneak into Voltaire's office and grab a copy. Unfortunately, we weren't succeeding in our search as of yet.

"FRED!" I yelled as I entered his bedroom, which was empty.

Where the heck is he?

"_FRED!_"

No reply. Had he gone out and neglected to mention it? No, he told me he was just going to his room to grab one his Dad's law books. His Dad is a lawyer, which is kinda useful.

I turned around and crashed straight into Johnny.

"Hey," he said, grabbing my non-injured arm to steady me.

"Hey," I greeted, "Have you seen Fred?"

"Fred? Nope. I was about to ask if you had actually,"

I sighed. Brilliant. My research buddy has disappeared. And we're out of coffee. How on earth is anyone meant to function around here without coffee?

"Johnny, can I borrow some money to buy coffee? I'm totally skint and we just run out and I hate to ask, but y'know how its gonna get if there's a sudden shortage of caffeine--"

"Willow!"

I fell silent.

"Honestly, you know I don't mind you borrowing money. I've got a bank account so huge a few quid some coffee isn't going to be noticed, and you know it. So stop with the pride and stubborn thing already when it comes to my money!" Johnny said sternly.

"_What pride thing!" _was my immediate defence.

Johnny groaned.

"_That_ pride thing! Also that _stubborn _thing!"

"_What!"_

He rolled his eyes, reached down and kissed me, while pressing a fiver into my hand.

"Go get some coffee."

I was about to argue but the next thing I know, he's gone! Bloody hell!

I'm _not _stubborn.

I'm not.

Nuh uh.

No way.

* * *

"Willow?" 

I paused, hand half way to the doorknob. I looked back and let my arm drop upon seeing Kara walking tiredly towards me.

"Where you going?"

"I'm just gonna get some coffee," I replied warmly.

"Could you wait half an hour or so? I've got to go down to the chemists and it'd be easier if we went together," Kara said, pushing back her blue bangs from her face.

"Sure, babe." I agreed, taking off my jacket and hanging it up on the already full coat rack.

"I'm just gonna take a shower. I won't be long," Kara muttered, turning around and heading towards the bathroom. I sighed, staring at the youngest Hiwatari's retreating back. She seemed so down most of the time, what with being sick and having to get married to a guy she really doesn't like that much plus Voltaire, it seems, has been demanding her return to their house, instead of being here or my place all the time.

"Hey Willow, has your hand healed yet?" Jamie called from the kitchen.

I glanced down at the bandaged hand that no longer needed a sling and didn't hurt anymore. Was it healed yet? My bones always healed pretty fast for some odd reason.

"Dunno. Maybe." I replied, walking into the kitchen where Jamie was making a sandwich.

"Wanna spar a bit? We'll need you on the day to be able to fight." He said, biting into his sandwich. "Oh, and we're out of coffee."

"I know." I grumbled, glaring at the coffee machine as is waiting for it to sprout coffee powder. "Spar? I dunno Jamie, my hand might not be up to it,"

He put down he sandwich and stepped in front me. "Hit me as hard as you think your hand can handle," he said calmly. I looked at him incredulously but shrugged. I mean, come on, Jamie may be nuts but he isn't stupid.

So I curled my hand into a fist and tucked my thumb in. I contemplated the curled hand for second before letting it lash out, connecting with Jamie's jaw. To my surprise, Jamie stumbled back, his back colliding with the table, before sliding into a chair with a quiet _ooph._

"Jesus, Sandy! I think your hand's healed for the better. That was some punch!" Jamie said, rubbing his jaw tenderly.

"Oh God, sorry!"

Jamie snorted, and waved my worried look away, "S'alright, I can handle a little pain, y'know. You just caught me off guard,"

"The great James Hearn, caught off guard? Damn, someone hand me a trophy." I gasped with obvious sarcasm, earning a golden coloured glare. I grinned back.

"_DUCK!"_

"_What the hell!"_

"_I told you to duck, not catch it!"_

"_Yeah, well, you of all people should know, Sandy Lily Tate, that my reflexes are better than most. You duck. I catch. Simple."_

"_I'd love to see you catch a bullet."_

"_Don't be stupid."_

"_I'm not, I'm contemplating the impossible."_

_"…Shut up."_

"_He he. Poor Jamie's a little baffled."_

"…"

"_Aww, poor Jamie—" _

"…"

"…"

"…"

"_Jamie?"_

"_What?"_

"_Kiss me again."_

I blinked, shaking my head. Damn memories unearthing themselves at the weirdest moments.

"Yo. Sandy. Alive, anywhere?"

My eyes moved to the nineteen year old sitting before me, looking as hot as ever. God, _this guy is in love with me. _Why? He could have anyone. _Anyone._ Why did he have to choose me? Why did he have to chose the girl who still loves him- but not in that way, cos her heart already belongs to another?

"Alive and kicking, sorry to disappoint you," I replied easily.

Stupid feelings. Stupid goddamned _lust._

"Not disappointed." Jamie said, getting to his feet. "Sounds like Kara's finished her shower. Are you going to the Chemists with her?"

"Yeah, I'm heading in that direction anyway, gotta get that coffee."

"Well, just be careful okay? Its not safe out there." Jamie said, looking out the window into the twilight that was quickly fading into the night. I gave him a weird look but he seemed lost in his thoughts. I internally shrugged, I mean, what's out there that could possibly be dangerous? It's Taniana for God's sake. Nothing happens here. Crime level of about once a month. Well, reported anyway. I can't say much for people like Tala and Kai getting up to no good all the time…

"Whatever you say," I muttered, heading towards the door, where Kara was shrugging on her jacket. I pulled mine off the coat hanger and slipped on the old leather jacket that had been with me for years.

"Shall we?" I asked Kara cheerfully.

Kara nodded, and to my delight, gave me a smile.

"Okie dokeys. Letsa go!" I grinned, opened the door and stepped outside after Kara. Slamming the door shut, I finally spotted Fred, Nick and Sky all making a snowman in the deep snow that surrounded the house.

So that's where the conniving little slacker is… I thought, eyeing the twins and my best friend laughing and messing around. I scooped up a handful of snow, balled it up and lunged it towards Fred. It hit him square on the back of his head. 

"OI!" Fred roared, whirling around.

"THAT'S FOR DITCHING ME TO DO ALL THE WORK!" I yelled back, and Kara let out a squeal as there was a sudden onslaught to snowballs in our direction. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a dead run away from the others, all the while laughing.

We slowed down upon reaching the street corner. "Okay, lemme just catch my breath." Kara gasped between giggles, resting her hands on her knees. "Damnit, is it just me or am I going totally unfit?"

"Don't be silly. You're just fat." I joked.

"Really?"

I looked at her alarm, "What? No! Of course not! I was only joking!"

Kara seemed uncertain and was poking her belly, "Well, if you're sure…"

"Of course I'm sure! Didn't you know? Even God takes advice from me, I'm that sure."

Kara giggled again before shaking her head. "C'mon you crazy nut, lets go before we die from the cold."

"Alright…"

* * *

"That'll be $3.99 please." 

I dug around my pocket for the $5 bill Johnny had lent to me earlier, finding it scrunched up at the very bottom, squashed underneath my bundled up gloves. I pulled it out and gave it to the cashier, all the while grabbing the large bag of coffee powder and putting it in my rucksack.

"That's $1.01 change and your receipt. Have a nice Christmas."

"You too." I mumbled, taking the change and stuffing it into my pocket. Kara would be either still in the Pharmacy across the road or waiting on the street corner like she said. As I stepped out into the snow, cursing about the cold, something caught my eye.

It was Kara. She was standing just out side the Pharmacy, clutching a paper bag and arguing with two thugs in suits wearing earpieces. Talk about flashy…

"_Its not safe out there." _That's what Jamie said…this is what he meant!

Suddenly one of thugs grabbed Kara around the middle, hoisting her onto his shoulder. My eyes widened as I realised several things: those thugs belonged to Voltaire, and they were about to kidnap Kara.

"WILLOW!"

I dropped my rucksack and took after them, heart pounding and head spinning with all sorts of thoughts but one stood out clearly: _Get. Kara._

"WILLOW, HELP!"

"Shut up wench!" grunted one of thugs, and as they opened their mouth to say more, I finally caught up and lunged at the one carrying Kara.

I landed into the snow, the slippery surface giving me momentum to hook my leg around his thick, heavy ones. He fell hard and fast, grunting in surprise and pain as he landed face first in the snow, luckily letting go of Kara. She scrambled to her feet as the other thug charged towards me, fist flying but I ducked and smashed my own fist into his stomach, but it hardly affected him. He simply snorted and threw his arm casually into my own stomach as if swatting a fly with the desired effect; it sent me flying backwards.

Damn bastard was using brute strength and a seventeen year old girl, even with the knowledge of martial arts, was no match.

But I'll be damned if they get Kara!

The one that had fallen flat on his face was up and reaching for Kara again, but she darted out of the way, only to land in someone's arms. I looked up blearily—

SHIT!

NO!

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" came the silky voice that could only be associated with one person.

_Voltaire Hiwatari!_

"Miss Tate has been putting up a fight for our little Kara has she? Tut tut, no young girl such as yourself should be fighting. Its uncouth."

I slowly got to my feet, eyes never leaving those cold dark orbs.

"Let her _go_." I snarled, taking several steps forward.

"Ah ah ah!" he sang warningly, arm winding around her neck. Kara's auburn eyes widened and she struggled furiously, but the old man was not as weak as he looked.

"If you know what's good for her, you'll stay put like a good little girl." He said with a manic grin. My hands curled into fists again and I suppressed the urge to get a knife and plunge it into his black, frozen heart. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Or perhaps not.

"LET HER GO!" I screamed, rushing forward, hoping to knock his teeth out and make him let go of Kara at the same time. Such plans were foiled by one of the thugs, the brunette that had swatted me backwards like a fly, colliding with me. I fell to the ground painfully, side aching and it got even worse when the thugs huge hands came from nowhere and pressed me to the ground. I struggled and he growled angrily, ice blue eyes glinting, and I knew there was no way I could escape now.

"NO! Voltaire -_Grandfather-_ tell them to leave her! She has nothing to do with this!" Kara yelled.

"It'll serve her right for meddling in other people's business, don't you think? But very well, Granddaughter. Franco, leave Miss Tate be."

At once the thug, Franco, got up, relieving me from the crushing weight his hands had applied to my shoulders. I got up quickly, but they were already shoving Kara into a black SUV.

Oh God no. They can't. They can't do this. _He _can't do this!

"You won't marry them, Voltaire! I'll make sure you won't!" I yelled after him, as he got into the SUV as well. He gave me a arrogant smirk, and said:

"Tell Kai to be home for supper."

I watched in despair and horror as the SUV door slammed shut and pulled away from the kerb, leaving me standing knee deep in snow and aching all over.

Voltaire has Kara.

* * *

"EVERYONE IN THE LIVING ROOM, NOW! NO QUESTIONS, NO DAWDLING, JUST GET IN THERE!" I yelled as I burst through the door. I threw my rucksack to the ground, hearing the sudden movement of everyone, the loud noisy chatter as they wondered what the hell had happened this time. 

I pulled off my jacket as I walked into the living room, still breathing hard from running all the way. Almost everyone had been in the living room already, only now all attention was on me.

"What happened?" Johnny asked, concerned when he saw my pinks cheeks and blazing eyes. He helpfully took my jacket and placed on the back of chair, leading me towards an armchair and setting me down. I was still shaking all over from the anger and the cold, I could barely think except the constant: _he has her. He had her. He has her._

"Where's Max?" I asked quickly.

"I'm here." Said my blonde brother, walking into the room from the kitchen. I stared up at him in horror, wondering exactly how my sibling was going take the news.

"Kai?"

"Here." Said the auburn eyed teen.

How is _he _gonna take it? His baby sister is in the hands of their sadistic grandfather…oh Jesus…

I took a deep, shaky breath, clutched Johnny's hand and prayed to God (for the first time in my life) that Kara was okay.

"Voltaire's taken Kara."

The reaction was immediate. Max turned a sickly pale colour, gripping the glass of hot chocolate in his hand so hard that it shattered in his grip, splashing boiling hot liquid over his hands and little bits of glass cutting into his skin. Kai was on his feet so fast that only Mirror realised what he was doing and had to latch on his arm and plead him to stay so that we could sort the whole thing out. Auburn eyes became two orbs of frozen fires of fury.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Johnny asked softly as the whole room erupted into to noise.

I shook my head, hating the tears that were welling up in my eyes.

"He just took her." I whispered brokenly, "These two thugs were there and I couldn't even take on one, and suddenly _he _was there, and he took her and I…I couldn't even…_stop him…_"

All around there were voices, shapes and blurs, yelling and the constant whir of chattering, it was going round and round in my head, round and round…auburn eyes flashing in fear…she's screaming…screaming my name…

"I WANT HER BACK!" I suddenly hollered, tears rolling down my cheeks, "I WANT MY BEST FRIEND BACK!"

There was sudden silence as everyone turned to look at me.

"And we'll get her back." Mirror said decisively. "Isn't that why we're here? We _can _do this. We'll get her back and we'll free her of this madness. Now, Holly, why don't you get something for Max's hands? Kai, you can go home and give us a call about how she's doing. Everyone else, get back to your projects. We need everything perfect."

Everyone stared at her in amazement.

"What? You think I can't be all bossy and leader like Willow? Hop to it!"

They hopped to it.

"See, Lils?" Johnny said softly, gathering me up in warm, much welcomed hug, "Everything will be fine."

I bloody well hope so.

* * *

Christmas Day

"Be careful, okay?"

I nodded as I placed a foot in Fred's cupped hands, taking a deep breath.

"Now."

He pushed his hands up harshly, forcing me to throw myself upwards. A split second later I threw my arms out and grabbed hold of the balcony railing. Dangling seven feet from the ground, I heaved myself up and onto marble railing top.

The balcony led into the library, but that wasn't where I wanted to go. I still had to get up another floor. If I turned around, I would be able to see my bedroom window just a storey up, right across from Kara Hiwatari's bedroom.

"Fred!" I whispered loudly down at the redhead watching me. "Get outta here before someone sees you!"

"Alright, jeez!" Fred huffed, vaulting over the fence that separated my house and the Hiwatari house. He joined Max who was staring at me intently over the fence.

"Bloody hell," I cursed under my breath, bending my knees slightly before taking a huge jump across from the balcony onto the roof of the conservatory. I landed with a thump and the glass panes shuddered slightly. Gasping for breath, I looked down to see Kai staring back up at me through the green leaves. He nodded once, and I began to move again.

Of course, by the time I got to Kara's balcony I was starting to wonder if I should take up rock climbing. I mean, I got here, didn't I? No easy feat, I'm telling you.

"What the _hell _d'you think you're doing?" Kara hissed as she rushed out onto the balcony and pulled me over the marble railings.

"Came to see how you are!" I answered cheerfully, finally inside the safety of her room.

"Willow, you could've asked Kai as to how I was."

"Are you kidding? He's a guy! Tell him your okay and he'll think it. Never heard of saying one thing and feeling another, have they?" I snorted in disbelief, taking in Kara's carefully brushed hair and for once let down to fall just past her shoulder. She was half wearing her wedding dress, a simple white dress that shimmered in the light, falling to her ankles. The back was undone. "Come on then, turn around, I'll zip it up for you."

She hesitated, before slowly turning around. I zipped up the dress and adjusted the straps resting on her shoulders. I took hold of her shoulders and made her turn around again.

"There. You look absolutely gorgeous. Shame it's the wrong wedding, eh?" I said with an encouraging smile.

She stared down at the floor, bangs hiding her eyes. When she looked up again, her striking auburn eyes were full of tears.

"Hey. Hey! Please don't. Babe, don't cry. If you cry I'll get myself all worked up! And a worked up Willow isn't very nice, and you of all people should know that!"

Kara laughed bitterly, wiping away the tears with back of her hand.

"Get me out of this nightmare, Will." She whispered, "You'll get me out won't you?"

"Always," I replied, giving her a hug.

"KARA! YOU BETTER BE READY!"

Kara gasped and quickly pushed me behind her king sized bed. "You know my cabinet with the lock? The combination is Max's birthday. Look in there and there'll be a plastic stick. You'll recognise it. At the wedding, tell me the verdict okay?" she muttered quickly, before standing up straight and hurrying over to her vanity table.

The door burst open and Franco came through. I resisted the urge to get up and throw a punch at the man who had defeated me easily.

"Miss Kara, your Grandfather wishes us to leave now."

Kara sighed, stood up carefully and walked towards the door. As soon as the door slammed shut, I quickly stood up again and rushed towards the wooden vanity table. Underneath it was a loose floor plank. Prising it open, I found myself staring at the metal box that I had never seen unlocked. Kara had only showed it to me in case there was an emergency.

_Well, this is definitely an emergency_.

I deftly turned the lock back and forth, hearing the click down three times before it snapped open. Hands shaking, I pulled on the door and it swung open silently. I nimbly snatched up the plastic stick lying among the papers and small, priceless things that Kara treasured and stumbled back in realisation.

Pregnancy test.

It was blue. What the hell does blue mean? I looked inside the cabinet again and found the instructions, eyes wide.

No way.

It just—

I don't understand! How could she be so careless? How could she—oh, God, Kara…

Blue means…

_Positive.

* * *

_

"Where the hell have you been!"

I skidded to a stop, ducking behind the shrubbery next to Sky.

"I told you, I went to see Kara!" I hissed.

"Willow. It's five to one, okay? All the guests are inside and Jamie is standing up front. The wedding is about to start!" Sky retorted.

I opened my mouth to reply but ended up being bonked over the head. I glared over my shoulder at Johnny, Danny, Mattie and Max.

"Don't argue, please." Danny pleaded.

"Alright!" I huffed, crossing my arms and settling down. "We've got to wait another fifteen minutes anyway. Have you seen Kai?"

"Yeah, we saw him going up with Jamie, him being best man and all. We got the signal." Mattie said, playing with her black tipped pink hair. "We got word from Mirror and her lot too. They're in place."

I sighed in relief. "Okay, that's great."

"Guys?" Max said quietly, and we all turned to look at him, "Even if we manage to get Kara away from him, who's to say it won't happen again? He'll keep sending people after her and he'll be able to do it legally, since she'll still be bound by the contract."

"No, she isn't."

"Huh?" everyone chorused.

"She's no longer bound by the contract. Voltaire just doesn't know it yet," I said without looking at any of them; I was staring up at the church we would be soon entering forcibly.

Somewhere in there was Kara and Jamie, standing side by side at the alter, waiting for us.

Waiting for freedom.

"HUH?"

I snorted, then sighed. "You'll see."

The next fifteen minutes were possibly the longest in my entire life. We sat there in complete silence, tensely waiting for the go ahead sign.

Suddenly I could see Mirror and everyone perked up at seeing the black haired girl approach the two thugs from before (Franco and that other guy) who stood guarding the front doors to the church, which had remained shut ever since the last of the guests had gone in.

"Hey there!" Mirror greeted cheerfully.

Franco and the other guy looked at each other uncertainly.

"Hey, listen, reckon I could get past? I'm friends with the couple getting married."

"Sorry. Only family guests." The unnamed one grunted. I gotta find out his name y'know. Until then…Thickhead will do!

"Aw, really? Any possibility I could get in anyway? I mean, its not as if I'll be causing any trouble. I just wanna watch my friends get married!" Mirror said with positively bright grin.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises." Franco said with a pointed look.

Still with a bright grin, "Well, that's a shame, cos I won't be leaving any time soon. So, am I gonna have to barge past you two with force?"

Franco and Thickhead, as I so adeptly named him, traded amused looks.

"Oh yeah? You and what army?" Thickhead sneered.

The upbeat look on Mirror's face disappeared in an instant and her cherry eyes deepened to blood red, her face darkened and bloody hell she looks like the female version of Satan! I'm telling you, she's that scary! She glanced over her shoulder only to see us approaching calmly, our group joined by Fred, Nick, Ozuma and Tala.

She turned back to the confused pair with a horrifyingly evil smirk. Has she been taking lessons from Kai or something?

"This army." She growled, and we pounced.

It only took me, Sky and Mirror to force Franco into unconsciousness, thanks to the fact that Mirror is no sissy and Sky and I are very adept at the art of making people fall unconscious. Although Mirror was, at one point, punched on the hip (his aim was a little off thanks to the fact Sky had jumped on his back) and I was almost flattened when he finally keeled over.

Thickhead was dealt with pretty quickly too, since he had several people attacking him and two of those were Danny and Mattie who are pretty damn good at knocking people out as well.

"MAX, GO!" Mirror shouted.

The blonde nodded and barged through the double doors and into the church, where everyone whirled around to stare at him.

Ironically enough, the priest had just finished asking if anyone had any reason to believe that the couple should not be wedded. Is hating each other a good enough reason?

"I OBJECT!" Max yelled.

There was a sudden round of gasps.

Dramatic, much?

"I object too!" I gasped, running in after Max and trying to catch my breath.

"As do I." Kai said loudly, and both Jamie and Kara's family turned to stare at him in shock.

"NO!" Voltaire bellowed, jumping to his feet, "Franco! Joe! Get these brats out of here!"

"Not gonna happen anytime soon!" Mirror said cheerfully as she bounced in with everyone else. Kai grinned at her.

"I told you I wouldn't let you marry them, didn't I, Voltaire?" I said, stalking up to the front, Max on my heels, "Forcing them to marry each other is illegal without their consent y'know,"

There were murmurs amongst the crowds. Did they think this was happening purely from love? Yeah, right! Reality check!

"I have a contract signed by the parents, and you know it Tate!" Voltaire growled, motioning sharply towards Mr and Mrs Hearn who were sitting in the front row.

"Oh. Hi Mr and Mrs Hearn, long time no see!" I greeted cheerfully.

"Hello Willow." Mr Hearn greeted faintly.

I turned back to Voltaire, not without glancing sympathetically at Max and Kara first though. Jamie was watching patiently.

"I know about the contract, but that's been nullified." I stated.

"What?" Mrs Hearn gasped.

"No, it hasn't!" Voltaire said sharply.

Everyone was looking at me in confusion, everyone except Kara who was looking very pale.

"It has." I repeated, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the pregnancy test. I looked at it for a second before throwing it towards Voltaire. It landed with a resounding clatter at his feet.

"Kara is carrying my brother's child."

Several things happened at once. Kara fainted, and Jamie caught her deftly. Voltaire let out a strangled yell and suddenly there were a whole lot _more _thugs rising from the audience that had broken out into loud chattering.

"GET HER OUTTA HERE!" Kai demanded, as Jamie handed Kara to Max. The next thing I knew I was in a fight with a skinny, tall blonde who was sending flying fists everywhere, fighting clumsily. I ducked a punch, tripped him up and took a glance around. Max was running towards the entrance with Kara in his arms, Jamie hot on his heels and knocking away every lumbering thug that came towards them.

"FUCK!" I gasped as a HUGE guy lunged at me, fist flying, but he was knocked down by a red blur.

"GO!" Johnny yelled, dodging a kick and slamming his elbow into the guy's jaw, "GET MOVING WILLOW!"

I gave them one last look before resignedly moving, but I didn't get very far when I heard a piercing scream that I knew belonged to Mattie.

"NOOOOOO!"

I whirled around, caught sight of the gleaming dangerous weapon resting in Voltaire's hand, and the whole world spun in chaos.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!" Voltaire roared, and as I stared at him, I followed his line of vision and my eyes landed on Max and Kara.

BANG!

NO!

_NO!_

But both Max and Kara had fallen to the ground, and standing in front of them was a gasping Jamie, with deep red blossoming on his white shirt, and he began to fall too in a graceful arc…

Time stopped. Horror filled every cell that existed in my body and all I could was watch him fall—

NO! MOVE WILLOW!

_"JAMIE!"_

I fell to my knees beside him, tears blurring my eyesight.

"Jamie! Please, wake up, WAKE UP! JAMIE!"

Golden coloured eyes that were clouded by pain flickered open slowly.

"Sandy…" Jamie muttered breathlessly, "Look, Sandy. I did it. I caught a bullet."

_You duck, I catch. Simple._

Somewhere between my tears I managed a laugh, and Jamie must've heard it because when he closed his eyes again, he had a smile on his face.

* * *

Please, whatever happens, DON'T KILL ME! If you kill me you won't get the next update--!

Erm...yeah, just...review...please...?

Ciao!

Chiya


	30. Wish Me A New World

Yeah, I know, I'm late by more than a week. I kinda hit a writer's block after the last chapter and sometimes I can't blame myself. I mean, HOW do you write a person's point of view that has just lost their ex-boyfriend/best friend? But I eventually got there. It's a bit on the short side, and I can't say its my best work so...let me know what you think?

Disclaimer: No, still working on the guys who do actually own beyblade. They still won't give me the rights! -huffs and storms off- 

**

* * *

Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Thirty: Wish Me A New World**

Sometimes, if I try hard enough, I can escape from reality. I'm welcomed into a world where there are no such things as war and poverty, where no one is held prisoner and tortured. I go to a world where life is as perfect as I could want it.

Sometimes, if I try hard enough, I can pretend that I'm still in America, where we ruled the streets and my friends were troubled yet carefree in a way that shouldn't be possible. I can pretend that everyone still fears me, fears Sky even worse and is downright terrified of that seventeen year old who rumours say, is dating me. I can pretend I'm still a fifteen year old girl with a mission; find Ryan and cause as much trouble as possible in the process.

Sometimes, if I try hard enough, I can believe that my relationship with Johnny would last forever and that we would never hurt each other so much again. That his intense violet eyes and red hair would be thing I woke up to every morning, that one day we would get married and live together. I can believe that there'll be a redheaded little girl with mischievous green eyes that would call me Mommy.

Sometimes, if I try hard enough, I can pretend that I'm not sitting beside a hospital bed.

Sometimes, if I try hard enough, I can pretend that I'm not holding James Hearn's cold and pale hand, hoping to God that he would wake up.

And knowing he probably won't.

* * *

"_My baby! My poor baby James…"_

"_I'm really sorry Mr and Mrs Hearn, there's nothing more we can do."_

It was all a blur, the next few days. Nothing but tears and a horrible feeling of emptiness.

"_Willow, you've gotta eat. You haven't eaten since the wedding yesterday."_

"_I'm not hungry."_

"_Eat the damned food Sandy!"_

My food tasted like ash and my sleep was plagued with nightmares. I found easier just to not sleep at all.

"_We can't!"_

"_Yes, we can! She's barely slept two consecutive hours since the wedding!"_

"_But we can't just force it on her…"_

"_Johnny, I'm her best friend. I have been since we were two. Trust me when I say I know what's best for her,"_

"_Sky…"_

"_Damnit McGregor, don't make this anymore difficult than it already is!" _

When she put sleeping pills in my apple juice, I endured six hours of nothing but nightmares overflowing with blood and bullets, golden eyes filled with pain, nothing but sheer pain.

But then I woke up, feeling more refreshed and just a bit better, and I couldn't blame Sky.

"_Willow, the doctors say he's gone into a comatose state."_

"_Will he ever wake up?"_

"_Honey, they don't know. They don't know."_

"_Thanks for telling me Mrs Hearn."_

"_I think you have the right to know. There's no one my James ever loved more than you honey."_

Sometimes, when I'm alone, which isn't often, I take his hand and whisper things to him. I tell him what's going on, how Kara was so upset when she heard Jamie had taken the bullet for her, how Max was shell shocked about Kara being pregnant. How Sky had taken to beating the shit out of her punching bag to vent steam, how Danny and Mattie constantly had to keep an eye on both me and Sky. How Johnny was worrying over my lack of sleep and food. How Holly was slowly sinking into depression.

How everything was slowly collapsing around us, and I didn't have the energy to stop it.

"Heya Jamie." I muttered, as I took his hand and sat on the edge of the bed. I stared down at his pale face that contrasted violently with his raven black hair.

"It's gonna be the New Year in two days," I said, reaching a hand to his face and moving his hair away from his face gently. "It's a shame you'll miss it. Although we haven't quite celebrated Christmas yet, which has left Dad confused as to why his kids weren't at home on Christmas day,"

He didn't move. Not a single flicker. But I knew he could hear me. He just had to.

"You didn't get to open your present." I sighed sadly, "I picked out such a cool thing as well. But never mind eh? You can open it when you wake up. Whenever that is. Either way, the rest of us haven't opened our presents either. It feels too weird, opening presents."

"But that was four days ago." Announced a voice from the doorway. I looked over my shoulder to see Mattie standing there, surrounded by everyone else who had been involved. She and Sky were carrying a large bag of presents.

"We decided that Jamie would've wanted us to get over it and start being a little happy. I'm sure he didn't put himself in a coma only for us to suffer because of it." Sky said determinedly.

"Yeah, we gotta face it Lils. James would've wanted you to be happy." Johnny said, walking into the room and pulling me gently to my feet. "What d'you say?"

I looked at my friends' faces, they were all so sad, so concerned. Since when did we need to act beyond the age of eighteen? They were right. Jamie would want me to be happy.

"Okay," I said.

They all broke into grins, and Kara rushed forward and hugged me tightly.

"I was so worried about you and James," she whispered, "I barely had time to worry about the kid in my stomach."

I hugged her back, smiling. "You just worry about my niece/nephew okay? I wanna spoil that kid rotten. As far as I'm concerned, I'm gonna be favourite Auntie Willow."

Kara laughed, and pulled back. She reached into the bag of presents, pulling out a wrapped rectangular box.

"This was from James, to you Willow. I thought you might want to see it first."

I sat down on the bed again with the wrapped box in my hands. I turned to the unmoving nineteen year old.

"Cheers Jamie. Merry Christmas, eh?"

* * *

Holly grasped my arm tightly. I barely paid any attention to her as we stared up at the two storey house that belonged to the Tate family. Kara shifted nervously next to Max, who had a determined steely look in his cerulean blue eyes.

"They are so gonna flip on us." Kara muttered.

I snorted. "About what? The fact we haven't been at home for the last five days? Or the fact you're pregnant?"

"Both," Max smirked, "But who gives a shit? We do what we like, eh?"

"Maybe you Max," Holly shot at our older brother, "You're eighteen and free to do what you like. What about the rest of us, huh?"

Kara interrupted before the blonde could retort. "Guys, please. No arguing. And _don't _argue with me," she added to Max, who had opened his mouth for the second time. He promptly shut it again.

"Well, whenever you people I call family have finished bickering amongst yourselves, perhaps you'll join me while entering the place that's suddenly looking like a torture house," I said dryly, walking up to the house. Holly made a noise of protest, since she was still latched onto my arm.

Max snorted in laughter. "A torture house? Honestly, you never fail to amuse me little sis."

I gave a wry smile, shaking out the bundle of key rings and keys and God knows what else, and finding the key to my front door within seconds. Yeah, I WAS about to use that key when suddenly the door flung open and the blonde woman known as my mother stood in the doorway.

"Holly! Max!"

You forgot me you stupid piece of—

Oh, who am I kidding? My own mother hates me and I know it.

There was loud thump from inside and suddenly Dad appeared, pulling me into a one armed hug. After a split second, he used his other arm to gently tug Kara into his arms as well. Needless to say, the youngest Hiwatari looked surprised but happy.

Can't say I'm surprised either. Kara practically lives here, after all. And her Dad died when she was young, so there was never much in the way of parents. Her mom was constantly away on business.

"Where the hell have you been, Willow? And you, Kara? Max? Holly? You take off looking depressed and tired and come back FIVE days later. You missed Christmas and everything!" Dad exploded.

"Sorry Dad," I said.

"Sorry Mr. Tate. It's all my fault." Kara muttered, hanging her head shamefully.

Mom upturned her nose at those words, her eyes cold.

"Like hell it's your fault Kara!" Max suddenly interrupted, looking up at Mom heatedly. "It's all Voltaire's fault, and you know it,"

"Yeah, but it's my fault they missed Christmas, isn't it?"

Something snapped inside me at the harsh reminder of Christmas Day. "So is it your fault that Jamie's in a coma?" I spat at Kara angrily. "Don't blame yourself for something beyond your control Kara. _We _decided to get you out of that wedding, _Voltaire _decided to point a gun at you, _Jamie _decided to save you. It was all beyond your control and don't you start thinking otherwise, alright?"

There was silence for some very long seconds, but Kara eventually nodded, her eyes wide.

"So," Mom started hopefully, "That James kid is in a coma?"

FUCKING STUPID BLOODY—

"JUDY!" Dad roared furiously, "How dare you talk to your own daughter like that! How DARE you treat her with such crudeness!"

FUCK! I HATE HER!

"She is _not_ my daughter." Mom said coldly and flatly.

Holly and Max winced, and Kara gasped. Dad went pale, a sign of shock and anger.

I closed my eyes briefly before snapping them open again.

"I'm glad you think so. Perhaps you would not mind me calling you a inconsiderate, incompetent mother who has nothing better to do than pick on her least favourite child _just _because of a slight mishap when I was younger!" I snapped, giving her the filthiest look I could conjure.

"How _dare _you--"

"God damnit will you SHUT UP!" Max yelled over us, his expression livid. Okay, Max angry is not a good thing. Especially when he's meant to be such a good-natured guy who takes everything into stride. Yeah, Max angry is _really _not all together that great. "I _hate _it when you start throwing insults at each other like a pair of spoilt brats! _Especially _after everything that's happened. Now, Willow, would you allow us to tell Mother and Dad what happened?"

I sighed, shrugged and took a step back.

"Okay, before we get into details of where we've been the last five days, I think Max and Kara should tell you something," Holly said, grasping my hand. I squeezed her hand in reassurance.

Mother and Dad glanced at each other uncertainly.

"Please, whatever you decide, you have to understand that we can't changed what happened." Kara said, her eyes wide in fear.

Max nodded, wrapped an arm around Kara's waist and said rather boldly:

"Kara's pregnant."

* * *

SMASH!

"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

"WHY THE HELL NOT?"

"Kara, Max, you should probably find somewhere else to stay for a while," I said loudly over the smashing and yelling coming from downstairs. Mom and Dad were yet again having another argument. Guess who's on our side? Yup, Daddy dearest.

"Perhaps. Question is, where?" Kara sighed. "Maxie, I don't want to take you away from your family,"

"I have Dad, Holly and Willow's support and as far as I'm concerned, that's all need family wise Kara. Just like you have Kai," Max told his girlfriend.

Kara nodded and buried her head into his shoulder.

"That's it." I muttered, getting to my feet. I refuse to stay in this house a second longer! Besides, they won't notice we're gone for a while, not while they're arguing in the living room and throwing everything breakable thing at each other. You see, this is why I prefer America! I could just escape to Chris and Danny's house, where we have our Headquarters. So much easier…

"What?" Holly asked, curiously.

"C'mon," I told my siblings and best friend. "Lets get outta here."

"What? Willow, your Dad said to--" Kara started.

"Yeah, I know, but I'll just leave a note. He'll understand. We can't stay here Kara, its only making you stressed and that isn't good for you OR the baby."

That was the last of it.

When had everything got so stressful? When had the world decided it didn't like me and was going to ruin my life?

And there was always more to come.

"Where are we going?" Holly asked, as I pulled out of the driveway in the silver Mazda I had gotten for my birthday. Curled around my shoulder was Sachi, my other birthday present, the ferret. In the trunk were several rucksacks we had packed that would last us at least a week.

I think it's safe to say Max and Kara are officially moving out.

Although that doesn't really work for Kara, does it? She practically lives in my house, but my mother never quite accepted her. So, really, she never lived in my house officially. She still spent at least one night a week in her own bedroom.

Jeez, no wonder she ended up pregnant.

I didn't answer Holly's question.

It became clear enough when we pulled into a garage only several miles away from the school.

"Tala's house!" Holly spluttered. "Lila, no way!"

"Why the hell not?" I said, climbing out of the car.

"Because- well…Lila, don't do this to me! Not with Ray…and…everything…"

"Ray has to get over the fact you've left him Holly," I told her sternly, placing her rucksack in her hand. Picking up my own, I waited for Max and Kara to grab their own before shutting the trunk and locking the car. "C'mon guys, if we're lucky Tala would've gotten out of bed already,"

Well, it IS two in the afternoon already, but Tala Volkov is one lazy bastard.

DING DONG!

We waited patiently for Kayla to open the door.

"Miss Willow, Miss Holly. What a pleasant surprise. Ah, and Miss Kara and Mr Max. I'm assuming you wish to see Master Tala?"

"Yes, if that's okay Kayla," Holly said, smiling.

"Of course, come in, come in." Kayla, the plump head housekeeper, ushered us in. "He's in his bedroom, still sleeping I should think. You know the way."

Holly led the way with complete ease even though we all knew the way to Tala's bedroom. After many carpeted stairs and empty corridors, we stood before the jet-black door that was oh-so-similar.

"I'll talk to him…" Holly sighed, and without even bothering to knock, she slipped past the door and closed it behind her.

I sat down on the stair with a dull thump, closing my eyes.

_Golden eyes… pain… bullet… blood… thick crimson blood against white… so pretty… so painful… come back… Jamie…_

I snapped my eyes open again, breathing hard.

Flashes of images plagued my mind, mixing and blurring together, Jamie with his golden eyes and messy raven black hair, sometimes he's laughing, sparkling, full of life, he likes to smile, he likes being happy. Sometimes he stops to laugh, the sparkle dies and life escapes like rain falls. Sometimes there's blood, so much of it, it pools on his so perfectly white shirt.

Drowning in a pool of his blood.

Always drowning…

_Jamie…_

SNAP!

"He said you can take the guest bedrooms in the corridor at the top of the stairs," Holly was saying, leaning against the black door and her skin pale, her hands clenched into fists.

I shook my head to clear my heads of all thoughts of Jamie, failing miserably, and sighed. I was the first up the stairs and into a spare bedroom, throwing the rucksack into a corner and letting Sachi hop off my shoulder onto the bed, where I threw myself next to her.

I pulled back my jumper sleeve and stared down at the bracelet there. It was several leather cords that wrapped around my wrist in an intricate design, occasionally sporting a different coloured stone with a name carved into it.

Holly, green. Max and Kara, yellow. Sky, light blue. Johnny, violet. Kai, dark blue. Mirror, orange. Fred and Nick, bright red…it was a blur of colours and names, everybody was there, all with their own colours. All my friends and family.

A blood red stone stood out from all the other colours. Along with the name, there was a message.

_Love you always. Jamie._

This was his Christmas present to me, and I know I couldn't've asked for anything better.

I clutched the bracelet tightly and closed my eyes.

And I cried.

* * *

Okay, that's it. I just wanna say thanks to everyone who reviewed, and if you read Goddess of Fire, you might have to wait at least another week for the next update. I kinda don't know what to do with that one either. So, yeah, thanks for being patient!

Please review and thanks again for reviewing the last chapter! That was the most reviews I've ever gotten for just one chapter for this story...

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	31. Bitter Dreams

Hey. It's been a while, I know, but I've had some extreme troubles with this chapter. This is the sixth go at it and I ain't even exagerrating. But, yeah, I wanna make two aknowledgements:

Ti (Truble), thanks babe, for prodding me to get going with this and for everything else you've done for this fic! You're the best!

Scarlet (Rising Phoenix), dudette, get updating with your fic cos I'm really enjoying it! You rock!

Riiight, on with the show!

Disclaimer: Mirror belongs to Truble and everyone you recognise from the TV show Beyblade belongs some big ass company, okay? Everything else? Mine. All mine.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Thirty One: Bitter Dreams**

"_So is it just me or is your sister really suffering?" _

_I blinked. I took a second to blindly wonder the hell I was…then horror hit me like a stone wall. _

_I was dreaming again. _

_I slowly got up, taking in my surroundings. This time, I was down by the lake, and the sun was high up in the sky. It didn't feel like late December…it was warm, with a gentle breeze fluttering through the leaves. It had to be late spring, or early summer._

_I turned around, and there he was._

_Raven black hair falling messily into golden coloured eyes, a lazy trademark smirk plastered onto his flawless face. A white sleeveless top allowed him to show off the falcon tattooed onto his forearm. He was lazing about on a great oak tree, leaning against the trunk and a leg swung lazily from the branch. _

"_You're not Jamie." I stated._

"_I mean, really, you've been so focused on yourself lately that you haven't noticed Holly getting depressed, or that Sky was extremely close to digging the knife in a little too far a few nights ago." He continued as if I hadn't said anything._

"_You're not Jamie." I repeated, my voice coming out in a low, angered growl._

"_Aren't I?" he asked lightly, grinning a heart melting grin at me._

"_No, you're not. You're a just some fucked up thing my fucked up imagination came up with." I snapped._

_He laughed, swinging down from the branch and landing lightly in front of me. He took my hand, and placed it against his chest._

"_But I feel so real, don't I?" he grinned again, dragging my hand down his chest and to his side. He lifted his top slightly, and placed my hand on his waist. I could feel the rough scar I knew all to well, "You were fifteen when you did that. It was a sword fight at the Martial Arts dojo. I remember your face afterwards," _

_I gasped against my will when suddenly the scar began to open, right under my hand, blood spurting noiselessly. I wanted to drag my hand away, but his hand was firm over mine._

"_You couldn't stop apologising. You even took me to the hospital so that I could be stitched up." He continued, as thick crimson blood cascaded down my hand, over my fingers and dripping slowly to the grass below. _

"_But there wasn't this much blood!" I cried out, "Jamie! There wasn't this much blood!" _

"_Oh?" Jamie smiled, "Admit do you? I am Jamie then, am I?"_

_I bit my lip, refusing to reply._

"_Oh Sandy," he laughed, golden eyes dancing, "You really do amuse me…" he finally let my hand go, and I snatched it back, staring in horror at the crimson liquid that dripped from my fingertips. _

"_You're not Jamie!" I yelled, "Jamie's lying in a hospital bed! Jamie doesn't start bleeding from a wound made two years ago!" _

"_No, but Jamie likes to tease you, doesn't he?" the Jamie replica smirked, now starting to walk circles around me, dragging his fingers around my waist as he did so, leaving trails of deep red in my figure hugging top. "Whether it was mentally or physically, he loved to tease you. And you loved it just as much, didn't you Sandy?"_

_His warm breath tickled my skin, before warm, soft lips connected with my shoulder. _

_I jolted at the contact; the way he had kissed me was exactly how Jamie kissed me so long ago, when we had been going out. I stumbled away from the thing that looked so much like Jamie, down to the lake. I fell to my knees at the bank, dipping my bloody hand into the cool water, frantically washing off the red liquid._

"_Fuck you!" I suddenly screamed at him, frustration and helplessness getting the better of me. I hated the fact there were tears falling from my eyes._

"_Aw, Sandy, that isn't very nice." He said from somewhere behind me. Suddenly strong arms gripped me, pulling me to my feet. "Like it or not, you're here with me. So, make the best of it huh? Because this is the only time you'll be seeing precious Jamie."_

_I looked up at his liquid golden eyes and flawless face, that lazy smirk and something seemed to click._

"_You're not nineteen." I whispered, touching his face gently._

"_Yes darling." He drawled, looking pleased._

"_You're seventeen."_

"_Yes darling."_

_I whirled around again, staring down at my reflection in the calm lake. A girl with short black hair and bright green eyes stared back at me. I looked younger, more naturally cheerful. I looked…fifteen._

_I turned back to Jamie, and I stared at him hard. Was this really the last time I would ever…? I hesitated, then made a choice._

_I pulled him closer…_

…_and kissed him._

_His kisses were the same as ever, rough and passionate and coarse and so damned good, it was like a drug, I just could never seem to get enough of them. I didn't want to remind myself that this wasn't Jamie, that I was dreaming, that…it had ended._

_"Nice." Jamie grinned. I realised he suddenly looked older again…normal. I looked at the scar above his eyebrow, then at the rapidly appearing bruising on his jaw._

_I had done that. When he told me to punch him, the day Voltaire kidnapped Kara. _

_Oh God._

_I screamed as a bang echoed through the forest with an intense force it created ripples in the lake. I watched, knowing exactly what was happening, as blood began seeping through his white shirt, his golden eyes filled with pain. But he was still grinning at me, his lips moved but I couldn't process what he was saying._

_Then he fell, slowly and gracefully, crashing into the lake with a loud splash. And he was gone, his last words echoing throughout the forest._

"_Time to grow up Sandy."

* * *

_

"If you think for one second, Willow Cassandra Lillian Tate, that I am going to let you lie there for the rest of the afternoon, then you obviously need the shit beaten outta you!" floated a familiar voice above my head.

What the hell has she been drinking _this time? _It's not as if I don't have enough to deal with considering I'm having _nightmares every bloody night_.

"WILLOW!" came a shout, and at the same time, a pillow came flying at my head, to which I rolled over reflexively, only of course I was lying on the edge of the bed so rolling over meant toppling over the edge and falling flat on my face on the wooden floor, accidentally hitting the bedside table which teetered precariously on its spindly legs, before finally giving up and collapsing on top my head, showering me with all the bits and bobs that had been residing on its surface.

I must be the unluckiest girl in the world.

I clambered out of the mess and confusion to find one of my best buddies, Mirror Chang, laughing her head off and holding onto the doorframe for support.

I glared at her while she finally gained control of herself, getting to my feet and dodging several objects that were bound to be painful if I stepped on them with bare feet. Which would not be fun.

"You suck," I said flatly as soon as Mi had stopped laughing.

"I rock," Mirror corrected with an amused grin that quickly faded. "Right. According to Kara, you have barely left this room since you arrived two days ago so…get ready to go out."

Hey, who does she think she is, ordering me around--!

Mirror glared.

Right. Get ready. Yeah.

I stumbled over to the wardrobe, grabbing a black jumper and a pair of jeans. They were all the first things that came into sight.

"Nuh uh. I told you to get ready to go out, not get ready to stay in your black hole until Kingdom Come," Mirror said, taking the items of clothing away from me. What the hell are you doing you crazy—Oi! Don't just shove me onto a chair!

_Jesus_! It's like war has been declared on me!

I watched, dumbfounded, as Mirror searched around my wardrobe, grabbed a few things, then marched right over to me and started tugging my t-shirt over my head.

"Hey! What the--"

The t-shirt was gone and Mirror was frowning at me.

Okay, why am I sitting here topless in front of my best friend?

"Your bra is getting too small for your breasts." She shot at me.

"You don't seem to have a problem with invading personal space, do you?" I shot back.

"Not with my mates I don't!" she said with a lighthearted grin. "You got a bra that was too big before?"

I'm not believing this.

"Yeah." I said cautiously, wondering when I was going to wake up and realise that this whole thing was a very weird dream. Although then I'd have to question my mentality, cos dreaming about sitting in front of Mirror completely topless and talking about bras is just—wrong.

"Oh goodie." And quite suddenly she wasn't in front of my but was rooting through my underwear drawer. "Is it this one?"

I blinked.

She was holding up a black lace bra that left very little to the imagination.

Okay, cheer up Willow, might as well make fun of this otherwise you'll only end up in an embarrassing situation.

"Yep."

"Sexy." Mi commented with a wink, throwing it at me. I put it on, got up and kicked off my PJ trousers.

"Come on then, what am I wearing today huh?" I said brightly.

"Well, I'm sure a lot of guys would be pleased if you went out like that but I think it might a bit too chilly eh?" Mirror said with a wry grin, tossing me a red tank top. Then came the black long sleeved top, which was cut open at the shoulders, straps holding up the top. Then came the black jeans, and it was finished off with my black and white Converses.

"Looking good," Mirror smirked, "Now, sit down again. I'll do your hair and make up."

Half an hour later and Mirror was finally finished getting me ready, my hair pulled to the side and secured with a hair band and my eyes covered in dark blue eye shadow with liberal amounts of black eyeliner.

"Finally," Mi sighed, "Back to your normal self."

"I guess so." I replied, staring at the mirror. I looked gorgeous, simply put. It was a drastic change from lately, when I didn't have the energy to make myself look so good. "What's with the makeover, anyway?"

"You're going out." Mirror repeated.

Uhhh, she's so difficult sometimes!

"Where and why?"

"Why? Cos you need it, obviously. It's not healthy locking yourself up. Where? You'll see."

Stupid, daft, annoying, poor excuse of a best friend!

* * *

I love Mirror Chang.

Really.

Seriously.

I love her.

She's my one and only.

My _amour._

The love of my life.

Ewwww.

Okay, I digress. I love Mirror, that's true, but as my best friend. Nothing more. All right, so I'm loving her more than usual right now but hey, she deserves it.

"Having fun?" hovered a whisper in my ear. Warm arms wrapped around my waist.

"Yeah," I muttered breathlessly. I tried to focus on keeping upright on my ice skates- usually, it's nothing, but with Johnny's arms wrapped around me, there seemed to be a problem.

So I fixed it.

I turned around neatly, despite my treacherous legs –GO ME!- and kissed Johnny softly.

"OUCH!"

We pulled apart only to see Mirror half covered in snow at the bank of the frozen lake, sheepishly getting to her feet. Kai was roaring with laughter, causing his girlfriend to glare. He shut up pretty quickly. Mi's glare tends to have that kind of effect.

Of course, Mirror is an ace roller blader, but she always seems to forget that ice is slippery so she tends to slide everywhere. And fall. It's quite funny.

"Don't you dare." She threw at us as she carefully got back onto the icy covered lake.

We raised our hands in surrender.

A few minutes later I stood by myself in the middle of the frozen lake, watching Tala coax Holly onto the ice, Johnny and Kai laughing as they both pulled her to her feet once more, still trying to teach her how to ice skate. I glanced over my shoulder, only to see a great oak tree identical to the one in my nightmare. Closing my eyes, I saw the stark image of Jamie, with his blood soaked white top and pain filled eyes and that smirk still plastered onto his face, burning into my mind.

My eyes snapped open, the white snow almost blinding me for a split second.

"Sis?"

I turned around, and there was Holly standing right in front of me. Tala had finally managed to get on the ice.

"Hey." I greeted.

Her dark chocolate brown eyes drilled holes straight into me. She looked utterly defeated.

I didn't understand why.

I wish I had, I wish I had known what my own twin sister was going through, but I didn't, I forgot to reach out to her, I forgot to look after her and protect her as I had once sworn to do. I failed her, my sister, and I desperately wish now that I hadn't.

"Do you-" she paused, looking uncertain, "Do you…ever wish that the pain would just stop?"

"All the time." I said instantly without much thought.

"Would you do anything for the pain to stop?" she asked quietly.

I didn't think about the consequences of my response. All I could think about was the nightmares and Jamie and Johnny and the _pain_…

"Anything." I confirmed.

Holly nodded, her eyes suddenly as clear as the snow. She smoothly turned around on her ice skates and began skating towards the bank, despite Tala calling after her. I watched in confusion as she took off her skates, put on her trainers and left, Tala hurrying after her.

"What was that about?" Kai asked as I skated towards them.

"Dunno." I said with a shrug, staring at Tala who was hurriedly pulling on his trainers.

I look back on that now, and I think: you're so stupid Willow Tate. You're stupid and a terrible sister.

* * *

New Year's Day came and went, and before anyone knew it school had arrived again.

"Explain to me why I'm here again," Mirror groaned.

"It's school. Kinda compulsory," Kara replied, sprawled out on the seat next to me. Mirror was in front of me, twisting around in her seat so that she could look at us.

"Hmm, damnation." Mirror sighed.

"You betcha," I smiled. Personally, I was rather glad to be back in school. It gave me something to focus on.

"KARA SKYLAR HIWATARI, IF WHAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN SAYING IS TRUE, THEN YOU ARE MOST LIKELY ABOUT TO BE KILLED!"

Kara practically fell out of her seat in shock, and Mirror jumped about a foot into the air. Me? Nah, I knew it was coming. Okay, so I squealed in surprise, but hey, same diff.

"Enrique." Kara muttered weakly.

I almost forgot. Kara and Enrique are practically best friends, but he had left for Italy about a fortnight before the holidays started and had only just returned, knowing nothing about had transpired.

Well, someone had obviously filled him in. I'm guessing Johnny.

"Eny," Kara said, getting to her feet, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry, I meant to call you but all you would've done is walk straight into trouble such as doing exactly what Jamie did and stuff! And I didn't want to drag you away from family."

"Are you INSANE! I think I'd rather know when my best friend gets herself into an arranged marriage AND prevents it by being knocked up by her boyfriend!"

The rest of the class, who had been half listening and half watching the door, waiting for tutor to get his ass over here, gasped and gaped.

"Well done Enrique, tell the rest of the world, why don't you." Kara snapped.

Then came the staring match. They glared at each other for at least thirty seconds, before Enrique broke the silence.

"I get Godfather." He said flatly.

"I'll ask Max." Kara retorted just as emotionlessly.

I smirked at Mirror and she smirked right back, cos we both knew what would happen now.

Kara burst into tears and Enrique immediately pulled her into a comforting hug, whispering soothing words as she wailed about how much she had missed him.

"How typical. I swear Kara shouldn't be Russian, she should be Italian, like Eny." Mirror said, as I looked around. The class were all whispered furiously, and I caught a few words- Kara, pregnant, Max, arranged marriage, Kai- but there was something completely wrong.

Holly. She's meant to sit on my other side, but she's not here, I can't see her anywhere.

She had left the house early. I simply assumed she would be in the library, studying as always, but she usually got to homeroom a few minutes before the bell.

The bell had gone two minutes ago and now our tutor was walking in, closing the door behind him with an ominous _snap_.

And Holly wasn't here.

"Mirror? You haven't seen--"

"Holly? No. I noticed too. Didn't you say she left early?" Mirror asked.

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry Sandy, she'll turn up by first period."

But she wasn't in first period, which was Biology. She wasn't in by break.

She didn't turn up to school at all.

* * *

Oooh, I wonder where Holly's gone off to! Well, I must say that this certainly isn't my best work, in fact, its a far cry from it, but leave me a review if it's not too much trouble. I don't seem to be getting as many as I would like. Also I'm a little uncertain about the dream- what d'you guys think?

Thanks to everyone who did review though!

Ciao dudes and dudettes

Chiya


	32. Until The End Of The World

Heya! Sorry about the wait, but, well, extreme writer's block! Well, today's my brithday (yey!) so I decided I should plough through it and get this up. So, here you go!

Disclaimer: I only own my characters and the plot.

ENJOY!

**

* * *

Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Thirty Two: Until The End Of The World**

I eyed her wearily.

"Where were you?" the words tumbled past my lips in a rush, eyes focused on the brunette standing before me. She looked completely out of place in the grand entrance hall of the Volkov's mansion.

"Around." She replied quietly.

_Around?_

_Damn her!_

I glared.

She stared at the floor.

"You…missed the first day back at school." I attempted.

"I know."

"_What the fuck is wrong with you!_" I snapped, losing all patience. She didn't even wince.

"Nothing, sis."

I gaped as she turned on her heel and calmly walked up the marble staircase. Just like that.

Doesn't matter that I totally freaked out at lunch because she was missing. Doesn't matter that she never answered her phone. Doesn't matter that Tala started getting wild, crazy ideas that she had been kidnapped or had committed suicide or something. Doesn't matter that she really worried her sister and boyfriend and friends.

_Ring ring!_

I winced. Right, speaking of boyfriend.

"Tala. Hey." I greeted into my phone.

"Hey. Is she—"

"Yup. She just arrived a minute ago."

A sigh of relief. "Thank God. I'll tell the others."

"Okay."

"Thank God she's alright, eh?"

"Yeah." _Physically, anyway. Mentally? I'm not so sure._

"I'll see you soon!"

"Bye…" I muttered, flipping the phone shut. I sighed. God, life just couldn't get a little less complicated, could it?

"_And when you think you've hit rock bottom, you take another dive." _Jamie's voice echoed in my head. I winced.

What is THAT about?

I seriously doubt it can get any worse than this.

I walked up to my room, dumping my bag in the doorway and greeting Sachi who ran up to me, clambered up my leg and settled on my shoulder.

"Hey little buddy. How's lazing around without a care in the world been?" I asked softly.

Sachi blinked her adorable hazel eyes.

I chortled, lightly stroking her before picking her up and putting her on the bed. I started to get changed, taking off my uniform and going to the closet, attempting to find something to wear. After some contemplation, I took out a pair of black jeans and light blue long sleeved top.

I left my room fifteen minutes later, running straight into Tala.

"Ooph!" I mumbled, as we both bounced backwards. I managed to fall flat on my ass while Tala managed to stay firmly on his feet. Damn him!

"Next time, watch where the hell you're going." Tala told me with a tired grin, pulling me to my feet.

"Very funny." I grumbled, before flashing him a smile. "Did you just get here?"

"Yeah…er, is Holly…"

"She's in your bedroom." I said, nodding to the door that led to the spiral staircase leading to Tala's room. I bit my lip before adding, "Something is seriously wrong. I mean, really really wrong. As in, catastrophic wrong. Tell me you have a vague idea as to what."

Tala shook his head sadly. I could tell he was really upset about the whole thing. "I don't know Willow. Things are a bit weird at the moment. Holly really, y'know, cared for Ray, so what with the way he's acting right now, she's been a lot more down lately. Plus, we've gotten into a fair few fights."

But they always fight. It's what makes Holly and Tala so perfect.

I looked at him sadly, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

He didn't look like he particularly believed me.

Then again, I'll be six feet under before I start believing those words.

* * *

"Alright, I'm pissed off."

I looked at Johnny blankly across the table, snapping out of my dazed state of mind. You know, the one I've constantly been in since Jamie did the whole 'Whooo! I'm so great! Lets jump in front of a bullet!' thing.

Not that I'm not grateful. For the whole saving Kara and Max thing.

Really.

Love him for that.

"Why?" I asked my boyfriend curiously.

"This." He waved an application form for a university in my face. He had been attempting to fill it in for the last ten minutes while I munched my way through some chocolate cake.

"What's the problem?" I said, putting down the spoon on the now empty plate. "Where you applying for anyway?"

"Cambridge."

"WHAT!" I yelled.

Johnny winced.

"That's all the way in England!"

"That's the not the only place I'm applying for…" Johnny muttered in hopes of appeasing me.

Are you kidding? ENGLAND? HIM, IN ENGLAND, WHILE I'M STUCK HERE FOR SENIOR YEAR!

What are you trying to do? Kill me?

"Where else you applying?" I demanded.

"Um…Tokyo University?"

I sighed in relief.

"But, really, my first choice is Harvard."

I groaned, letting my head bang against the table. "That's all the way in America…"

"Well, it's not like we all know you're not gonna go back there." He told me with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, for Uni! I have to get through senior year first!"

"Lils…come on, it'll be fine. We'll still see each other in the holidays. We're not gonna break up just cos there's the Pacific Ocean between us."

"You gonna not have sex for four months straight?" I asked him, eyebrows raised.

"Uh…" Johnny stammered, looking very alarmed.

I rolled my eyes. "See?"

Johnny sighed and safely switched the topic. "How's Holly?"

"Weird," I replied without missing a beat, sighing. "I mean, really, really weird. Depressive. Despondent. Looks like she just wants the whole world to just leave her alone for once. God, she must be so upset with all the shit Ray's been giving her. He's running her name through the mud, and it's getting to her, _bad._"

Johnny shook his head. "I'm worried for her."

Aren't we all?

"Hey guys!" Mirror chirped, dragging Kai by the hand as she waltzed through the door and slipped into the seat next to me. She looked up at Kai. "Baby, can you get me a hot chocolate with marshmallows, please? Thanks!"

Kai rolled his eyes. "You guys want a top up?" he asked us.

"Get us a strawberry milkshake and a mocha, would you?" Johnny said, digging into his pocket and holding out a five-dollar note. Kai waved it away and walked to the counter, while Johnny just shrugged and held it out to me.

I rolled my eyes and took it, totally used to my boyfriend handing me random five-dollar notes so that I could buy magazines and stuff.

Usually I would refuse, but I got used it after a while. Johnny sure is stubborn.

"Alrighty then. What's the news on Hols?" Mirror asked.

I told her what I had told Johnny, Kai listening carefully as he brought the beverages.

"I am _so _tempted to kill Ray," Johnny told us.

"You ain't the only one." I muttered.

"Well, here's your chance." Kai said, looking over my shoulder. I whirled around, seeing the Chinese teen walk into the café at that moment.

"Um, excuse me." Johnny said, getting to his feet and walking towards Ray.

"What is he gonna do?" Mirror asked worriedly.

…Oh my God! What is he doing?

Yeah, my boyfriend just grabbed him and hurled him outside.

"Bloody hell! He just punched him!" Mirror yelped, looking outside through the window.

I was out of my seat and outside faster than you could say 'what!'.

"What the hell d'you think your doing!" Ray yelled at the angry redhead, clutching his bleeding nose.

Johnny punched him again.

"I'm getting payback! For the way you've been treating Holly!"

"Why the hell would you care?" Ray roared in anger. "Just a few weeks ago you called her a slut!"

"Unintentionally," Johnny growled, "And I paid for it. Just like you should."

Ha! You ain't kidding!

"Actually," I interrupted sweetly, thoroughly enjoying this, "The term was 'cold, heartless bitch' and he mostly talking about me."

"Go to hell!" he snapped at me.

Oh, but Ray. I'm already in hell. Haven't you noticed?

I just smiled at him, which seemed to frustrate him even more.

And that's one for the Good Guys!

Johnny grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "I want you to listen, and listen good. You stay away from Holly Tate, and you stay away from my girlfriend. In fact, you just stay from all of our girls."

"That would include Kara," Kai added from behind me, watching lazily with an arm around Mirror's shoulders. "I don't trust you with her. Especially in such a delicate state. Well, I don't trust you period, but that's another matter."

"Delicate?" Mirror said to her boyfriend, "No wonder Kara nearly chopped your balls off yesterday, you don't _ever _call a pregnant girl delicate, especially Kara Hiwatari."

Kai frowned, "So that's why she…?"

Mirror nodded, smiling at her poor, confused boyfriend.

I sniggered.

"D'you understand, Kon?" Johnny snapped at Ray.

"Yeah," he growled out, "I get you."

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Oh, crap.

Johnny blinked and let go of Ray. I turned, catching sight of my sister glaring at us.

"Just what gives you the right to go around beating up anyone you sodding want!" she screamed at us.

"But, Hols, he's been treating you like—" Mirror tried.

"How d'you think Willow got expelled from her old school?" Holly snapped, "By beating up some guy until he was almost comatose, just because he pulled some very nasty moves on _me_!"

"_Just because?_" Johnny growled, glaring at Ray, "Sounds like he deserved it."

"Trust me, he did." I snarled, temper flaring.

"Will you two just—"

"SHUT UP!" Ray roared, "If I needed protecting, I rather it come from a prostitute than you, Tate! But then again, someone could mistake you for one!"

Holly froze, looking like she has just been slapped.

You…_you bastard…_

I leapt forward and drove a fist into his face, undeniably glad when I heard a sickening crunch of his nose breaking. I went to hit him again, but Kai grabbed my arm, shaking his head.

"Come on, let's go, before you get yourself in shit." He told me softly.

I…don't…care!

I just want to beat the shit out of him!

"Willow!" Johnny said sharply. "Lets go."

I sighed, and looked towards Holly.

But she was already gone.

* * *

Hmm…strawberry milkshake…

"God, I go to the kitchen for five minutes and she sodding disappears." Tala was ranting, presumably about Holly leaving the house without telling anyone and ending up at the café, and that harsh scene.

I was sitting on the breakfast counter in Tala's kitchen, slurping on the strawberry milkshake Kai had managed to grab before we left.

"Did she come back?" Mirror asked.

"Yeah, she's in our bedroom," Tala sighed, running a hand tiredly through his red hair, "Christ, I don't know what to do."

"You're not the only one lost on this," Max told him. "I'm really worried for her mental health."

"Same," I said, and Kara nodded in agreement behind me, where she was sitting cross-legged on the counter and running a brush through my hair.

To be honest, I feel much worse than any of them. What with the recent yet sudden loss of Jamie, who I was so used to being able to trust to be there so I could vent all my frustrations on him, I didn't know what to do about Holly.

It was like she was beyond my help.

The help of her own twin sister.

I've always protected her, from right when we were little kids.

So what the hell am I doing now?

_What the hell am I doing?_

Wasting time, I would think now. I didn't realise it then, but I was wasting time.

I walked into my room, piggybacking a sleepy Kara. We must've spent an hour in the kitchen, talking about everything and anything, and poor Kara, whose hormones were totally out of whack, became tired.

To be honest, I was tired as well, all of the stress with Holly disappearing for the entire day and such had made me just want to curl up in my bed and take a nap, and there seemed no better time.

After all, Holly's safe and sound in Tala's bedroom, right?

God, those were famous last words.

"Mmm, thanks Cass…" Kara mumbled when I put her down on the bed. "Ow. What the…" she grumbled, lifting her head from the pillow. There lay a white letter.

I recognised the envelope from Holly's personalised stationary.

Kara gave it to me, since _Lila _was written in neat, curvy writing on the front. I frowned in confusion, and opened it hastily. There was a letter inside.

I began to read.

_Dear Lila,_

_Oh, wow. I don't know what to write. What do I write? Well, first off, since there's so much I need to say to everyone and so little time to do it, I want you, sis, to pass on these messages, because I won't be here to say goodbye. _

_I won't be here period._

I stopped.

I knew what it was. I knew it the moment I saw the envelope, but I didn't want to believe it.

It's a suicide note.

_Oh God._

_Holly…_

Sis… 

I read the rest rapidly, then flipped it over. Two words glared at me.

_Land's End._

What? What does that mean? Oh Jesus, please, don't do this to me. I gave the letter to Kara, who frowned and started to read it, while I tore out of the room and down the hall. Down the spiral staircase, almost kicked down the door and…

She wasn't there.

As soon as I came up the stairs, Kara tore out of my room.

"Land's End…it's the cliffs Willow!"

The cliffs. My sister, my darling Holly, was going to end her life by throwing herself off the cliff and into the freezing waters below. The shock alone would kill her. If that didn't, she would drown.

_No._

_Oh God, no._

I turned on my heel and ran, Kara close behind me. I crashed into the kitchen within a record time of fifteen seconds.

"Willow!" Johnny said, surprised at our sudden entrance, "What's the matter?"

"Holly! She's going to commit suicide!" I gasped out.

Everything was autopilot and blurred after that. Tala threw me his car keys and jammed on his trainers. Johnny followed suite, as did Max, Kai and Mirror. Max ordered his girlfriend to stay behind and call around, in case anyone had seen her.

We piled into Tala's Jaguar convertible, me driving; I was faster, everyone knew it. I jammed my foot on the accelerator and we were off, zooming straight for the road that followed the beaches and cliffs.

It didn't take us long to find her. She was still standing on the edge, staring at the sunset.

Still finding the guts to take the plunge.

"HOLLY!"

She whirled around, eyes wide.

I could hear the wild thumping of my heart in my chest. I could smell the salty water in the breeze. I could feel the bitter cold seeping into my skin, in my rush I had forgotten to put on something over my t-shirt.

I could see the tears running down my sister's cheeks.

"No," she mumbled, looking away. "GO AWAY!"

_Please don't do this, please don't do this, not to me, not to Max, not to Tala, please sis, don't do this…_

_Oh God, sis, PLEASE!_

"Holly!" Tala yelled over the sound of waves crashing into the cliff walls. "Please, Hols, don't do this. How many are you going to hurt if you do this?"

"How many people am I going to hurt if I don't?" Holly screamed at him, whirling around, "That's all I'm good at, right? Hurting people?"

"That's not true and you know it Holly!" Max retorted. "We're your friends, your _family. _If you do this, it'll kill us!"

"You can manage, I'm sure! After all, if Willow can deal with Jamie going into a coma, I'm sure you can manage this!"

I felt an ice-cold knife wedge deep into my heart.

"NO! I CAN'T!" I screamed at her, feeling tears gathering in my eyes, "I CAN'T HANDLE JAMIE BEING GONE! I CAN'T! IF YOU GO AS WELL, I'LL LOSE IT!"

Holly turned away, looking over the cliff edge.

"YOU'RE MY SISTER! MY TWIN! WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITHOUT YOU?" I continued yelling, desperation in my voice.

The tears started to fall.

"Come on, Holly, this isn't the way to go," Johnny tried.

"Suicide? Don't be a coward! The Holly Tate I know wouldn't do this!" Kai yelled over the wind.

"Holly, please," Tala begged, "Holly, I love you. I love you so much. Why are you doing this to us? To Willow, to Max, to _me_?"

Holly turned right around, so that her back was to the setting sun behind her.

"I love you too," She said softly, looking at Tala. Her chocolate gaze turned to me, and then she added, _"I'm sorry."_

At the moment, horror filled me. It took every single cell in my petit shell of a body and filled them to the brim with sheer, unadulterated horror.

No.

_No._

Oh, Christ, no, please, _no…_

She stepped backwards, right to the edge. And she started to fall.

"HOLLY!" 

But she was gone.

Silence filled the air. Mirror suddenly collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Kai dropped down next to her, pulling her into a hug. Max seemed shell shocked, as did Tala.

I felt Johnny wrap his arms around me, but at the same, I didn't. All I could do was stare at the spot Holly had been standing.

_I just watched my twin sister commit suicide._

The words resounded in my head.

_I just watched my twin sister commit suicide._ _I just watched my twin sister commit suicide. I just watched my twin sister commit suicide. I just watched my twin sister commit suicide._

Holly…

_I'll follow you to the end of the Earth, sis._

"No." I muttered.

"Willow…"

"No." I repeated, struggling against Johnny's grip. "No. No. No. NO!" I screamed the last one, finally pushing him away. I turned on my heel and ran towards the edge.

I didn't hesitate.

I didn't think.

I just leapt.

* * *

_Dear Lila,_

_Oh, wow. I don't know what to write. What do I write? Well, first off, since there's so much I need to say to everyone and so little time to do it, I want you, sis, to pass on these messages, because I won't be here to say goodbye. _

_I won't be here period._

_First off, Maxie. God, Max, I don't think I could've asked for a better older brother. You've been there for me, always. I just wish I could be here to see my baby niece/nephew (personally, I'm thinking it's a niece). Kara, you and Max make the most wonderful couple ever. I hope you and your new family live life to the fullest._

_Girlies, which means Mirror, Kara, Destiny, Mariah, Mariam and Sky, thanks for being such great friends. I know some of you are angry with me because of what I've done to Ray, and trust me, I know I deserve it. But thanks for the last two years, almost two decades in Sky's case, and only six brilliant months for Dest and Mi._

_Boys, thanks as well, for the laughs especially, and for making me grow up. I truly hope every one of you will find happiness with someone special in the future. _

_Kai, I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me and Willow. So I won't bother. You're the best._

_Ray, I'm sorry. I know it's not enough, but I am sorry. So, so, sorry._

_Tala…I love you. Please don't ever think I didn't. Because I do. So much._

_And sis…finally, its just you, my Lila. You're the one thing that kept me tied to this world, and yet sometimes I think you drift off as well. I'm so sorry about what happened with Jamie. You don't deserve the pain. Hang on to Johnny, babe, he's a keeper. Just sort out his temper, eh? Keep cracking jokes, keep being weird, keep being…you. Because you're a light we all can't afford to lose. _

_I would've followed you to the end of Earth, sis. Just so you know._

_Love, _

_Holly.

* * *

_

Ahem. Yeah. Well, thanks for waiting patiently. And reviewing. Can you do that again? I mean, review?

Ciao!

Chiya


	33. The Story Of My Life

Heya! Sorry about the long wait, I know it was a horrible cliffie, but at least it made more people review! Anyway, this is the last chapter (not including the epilogue), which is a bit of a shock, since it's almost been two years since I started this story. I can't believe it's so close to being over! -cries-

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. Just a measly notebook and a chewed up biro.

ENJOY!

**

* * *

Eye of the Storm**

**Chapter Thirty Three: The Story Of My Life**

It was cold.

So viciously, numbingly cold.

And dark.

Pitch black, almost.

I couldn't see.

I couldn't feel.

I couldn't _breath._

But…wait…there was something else…something more important…open your eyes…move…

Something else…someone else…

Open your eyes.

Move.

She's more important.

Open your eyes.

Sis…

Move.

HOLLY!

* * *

"…both have serious cases of hypothermia, bruised ribs, this one's lungs were crushed and stopped breathing in the ambulance about two minutes ago, we haven't been able to resuscitate her as of yet, we believe she stopped breathing earlier but the other one performed mouth-to-mouth…"

What the…?

"…she jumped off the South Point cliffs, suicide I think, the other jumped after her and managed to find her, God knows how, it's a miracle, swam around the cliffs for about ten minutes and reached the beaches…"

What…happened…?

"…their friends found them five minutes later…"

I don't…remember…

"…both were unconscious…"

Wait…

"…Holly and Willow Tate, both seventeen…"

Holly? Sis?

"Willow? Can you hear me?"

"Holly?"

"She's being looked after hun, but I need you to stay awake, alright?"

But…Holly…

"Can you do that? Stay awake, sweetie, otherwise you'll—Willow?"

I don't—I can't…oh God, it hurts…

"Willow? Come on, stay awake—"

I can't…Holly…please, Holly, be okay…

"Willow! Stay awake! Come on!"

…because I can't…

"WILLOW!"

And the whole world went black.

* * *

So there we go. That's my story. My life. How I ended up in this hospital bed, after an awkward struggle to stay alive. How Holly is in the Intensive Care Unit on a life support machine after her lungs were almost completely crushed.

How I almost lost everything.

From here on out, I can't tell you what happens. Everything in the last seven months has led up to this moment: staring up at a white ceiling with my head thudding painfully. My chest ached, I was shaking and the world seemed blurred. We've been here for a week already; I've only been awake for two days. Holly hasn't woken up at all. She's due for more surgery today.

I was comatose for five days; five days in which my friends and family spent either crying or staring blankly at the wall, trying to comprehend when everything fucked up.

Because everything did fuck up. It got so fucked up no one saw it coming.

Funny that.

"Cass?"

I moved my head to the side, where Fred was kneeling next to the bed with his head propped up on his arms, leaning against the bed as he clutched my hand. Nick sat by my knees, and cradled on his lap was Sky, who stared lifelessly back at me.

It hurt to see the three people I could always count on to be laughing to just lose all their liveliness.

"How're you feeling?"

On my other side, I knew Kara would be curled up in the armchair and getting some much needed sleep. Max was with Holly at the moment.

"Better." I said hoarsely. My throat was still recovering from swallowing too much salt water.

"They're prepping Holly for surgery now." Nick said softly.

I nodded, turning my head back to stare at the ceiling.

The surgery, despite being five hours long, was a complete success.

I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry.

* * *

Two days later, I was allowed to leave the bed. The first thing I did was visit Holly.

Then I decided it was far too overbearing for me so I left, staggering to the elevator and making my way to the fifth floor where the permanent residents inhabited. Making my way down the corridor, I stepped into a small, familiar room.

"Heya Jamie," I said exhaustedly, "Man, walking is hard in this state. Don't ever try it."

As usual, there was nothing.

I sat down next to him, running a hand though his coarse black hair. It was getting longer now. It had reached his shoulders at the back. His skin was still pale and I missed the sun kissed tan that normally resided on his skin. Jeez, this guy spent so much time outdoors that he could get a tan in the winter.

I missed his golden eyes.

"So, when you waking up?"

Again, nothing.

"Well, hurry up would you? I could use a hand here."

Why was I bothering?

"Has anyone told you what's happened? Maybe they haven't. Suppose that's why you think I'll be fine. I won't, you know. Be fine. I feel crap."

I wanted nothing more than to see his cocky grin again.

"Holly tried to commit suicide."

There. I said it. I haven't talked about what happened to anyone. I couldn't form the words. But now I just wanted everything _out. _

"Yeah, shocking huh? She almost succeeded and all. Threw herself off the cliffs. I watched her do it…I couldn't stop her."

I could feel the tears starting to well up, but I suppressed them.

"She fell. She fell, and I couldn't stop her. God, I couldn't stop her. But you know what? I went after her. I jumped off the cliffs. I didn't know what I was doing. Maybe I thought I just couldn't live without her. Without you. It's too much, Jamie."

I took a scolding breath. My throat burned. My chest ached. I didn't care though.

"Maybe I thought I could save her. If I didn't…well, I'd die along with her. I didn't really care at the time. Oh God, I'm just as suicidal as her, aren't I?"

The notion hit me hard. I felt queasy. But I kept on talking.

"But it's alright now. I saved her. There was a point I just lost focus. I couldn't think. Maybe that's when I landed in the water. It was cold. Freezing, even." I gave a small, dry laugh, "Well, it's winter after all. What did I expect? Warmth?"

I sighed. Maybe the proclamation of me being insane was too true.

"Anyway, I found her after a few seconds—she was sinking. But I grabbed her, went to the surface. Swam and swam and swam. It was dark, and cold, and I was tired, and I couldn't think. I got to the beach though. Performed CPR. As soon as I knew she was breathing…I passed out."

I closed my eyes, fighting harder to suppress the tears. Once I deemed it safe again, my eyes flickered open.

"They found us. Johnny, Kai, Tala, Maxie, and Mi…they found us. On the beach, both unconscious…" I snorted, "Apparently, Mirror found us first. Everyone was running along the edge of the cliffs, trying to find us, when Mirror slipped and fell off the edge. Typical klutz huh? It was good thing they were low over there. Still, she broke her leg. She almost gave Kai a heart attack though."

My lips quirked in a half smile at the thought.

It was Mirror and Kai, through and through.

I would go visit Mirror afterwards. I needed her company. Just as soon as I finished.

"Anyway, Holly's lungs collapsed in the ambulance. She's been on a life support machine since…well, until yesterday anyway. She's had surgery twice; the second time was two days ago. They said there isn't any reason for her not to make a full recovery now. But she has to have therapy and stuff, when she wakes up. Go on anti-depressants. You know, everything Sky had to go through when she slit her wrists."

I winced at the memory, the sight of my fourteen year old best friend simply lying in a pool of her own blood.

Not pretty.

"Um, I scared everyone by going comatose for five days. But I woke up. Which you don't seem to be doing, after almost a month."

I pouted petulantly.

He remained completely still. No golden eyes.

"I guess it's not your fault. I just went to sleep when I wasn't meant to." My voice became strangled, "You got shot."

I sniffed, feeling the tears starting to overpower me.

"Jamie," I choked out, "Please wake up. I need you. I need you."

A single tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another, and then another, until my cheeks were wet with tears, leaving hot trails in their wake.

"I love you." I whispered, clutching his hand. "You're one of my best friends, Jamie. I love you. I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I—"

I broke off, sobbing.

He remained as still as ever.

After an hour or so, I got up and wiped my eyes, before fulfilling the promise to myself to visit Mi. I walked into her room only to find Kai sitting cross legged on her bed, drawing things on the cast wrapped around her leg. Mirror was trying to look over Kai's shoulder to see what he was drawing, but Kai didn't let her. She pouted.

I smiled.

"This is so unfair!" Mirror grumbled, before her cherry eyes fell on me, "Willow!"

Kai looked up immediately, abandoning his seat and pulling me into a hug.

"Jeez," I said into his shirt, "I was only across the hall."

"Being bloody despondent," Kai muttered, "S'not the greatest thing to sit with."

I rolled my eyes, and he finally let go. I walked over to Mirror, letting the taller girl wrap her arms around me and drag me into bed with her.

"There," she said happily, "Now I feel better. See, if Holly was to wake up right now, my life would almost complete."

"Huh?" I said intelligently.

"Well, you've gotten your ass moving, instead of staring blankly at the ceiling, I've got a pretty cast, a pretty boyfriend, and the drama is finally over. Actually, it would help if James woke up too, because that would make _you _happy, and that generally helps my mood as well." Mirror explained as if it was the sanest thing in the world. Which to her, it is.

Either way, it was really sweet.

"You're utterly insane." I told her.

"You only just figured that out?" she smirked, "Now go write something on my cast."

If there was one person I could always rely on to make me feel better, no matter what, it would be Mirror.

WHACK!

The door slammed open with a large amount of force. The reason as to why became pretty clear within moments. Max stood in the doorway, breathing hard. What he gasped out sent my mind reeling.

"She's awake! Holly's awake!"

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Do you want some water?"

"Maybe you should have another pillow…"

The chaos that followed was a bit crazy. Mom and Dad were all over her, as was everyone else. Me, Max and Kara sorta hung around in the background, me leaning against Max cos my feet absolutely killed with the small amount of walking I had done.

It seemed a bit ridiculous. All this fuss. I mean, the few glimpses I got of her, she was looking very claustrophobic.

"How are you feeling?"

"We brought some magazines for when you wake up."

"Suicide? What are you, retarded?"

"Calm down, let's not get hasty!"

"She tried to commit suicide! How much worse can you get?"

"Judy—"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed.

Everyone started, turning towards me.

"Get out," I snapped, "All you lot are doing are crowding her, and that's not exactly a nice feeling for someone who's just woken up after a traumatic experience!"

They had the grace to look guilty before trudging out, save Mom of course, after all, she never listens to me. But luckily Dad just grabbed her and dragged her out.

Only Tala remained, but he had spent the entire time sitting with her, holding her hand and not saying a word.

Holly looked downwards. "Hi." She said softly.

"Hey." I replied, sitting down opposite Tala.

"You want some water?" Kara asked.

Holly nodded gratefully, and Kara poured her a glass, handing it to her. As soon as she had taken a couple of sips and put the glass down, I whacked her over the head.

They stared at me.

"OW!" Holly whined, her hands flying to her head, "D'you mind? I have enough traffic going on in there without you smacking me!"

"Whose fault is that then?" I said dryly, taking her glass of water and downing it. Instantly my throat felt a lot better.

Holly fell silent, staring at her lap.

"Don't do it again." I said coolly.

"Okay." She replied quietly.

"Good."

And the subject was closed.

So I subjected everyone to a nice, long rant about hospital food and beds and so forth that eventually had everyone laughing…even Holly.

Because no matter what, she's alive. And she knows it was stupid.

That's all I need.

* * *

I stood staring at the phone, biting my lip. Thoughts buzzed around my head, and it didn't exactly help. Finally, I pushed a coin into the slot and dialled a number I often used.Ring…ring… 

Please answer…

Ring…ring… 

_Ring…ri— _"Hello?"

I swallowed, hesitating. And then… "Johnny?"

"…Willow?"

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "Hey, babe."

Over the phone, I heard a low thud. "Fuck, Willow. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Johnny—"

"No, no, I was there for so long, but I couldn't handle it. The day you woke up…you just looked like a shell. You hardly talked, you didn't even _cry…_" shallow breaths echoed down the phone. He took everything that had happened real hard.

"Johnny…I understand…" I muttered. "I only got myself together today. There wasn't anything you could've done to help me. No one helped me. I just…" what do I say? I sat down next to Jamie and told him what happened and begged and cried for him? Begged and cried for my best friend/ex-boyfriend instead of the one person I was totally in love with?

"I'm just glad you're okay now. Kai's been keeping me updated for the last few days…I'm glad to hear about Holly coming off the life support machine."

I pushed another coin into the slot.

"She woke up today. Just half an hour ago. We left her with Tala…I think there's a few things they need to sort out…" I told him.

"Thank God," He muttered. "Christ, Willow, you and Hols…you scared the living daylights out of _everyone._ I've never seen Tala cry, never in all the years I've known him, and he just broke down."

_Did you?_ I wanted to ask.

"Yeah," I said thickly, "It was pretty harsh on him."

"And Max…I thought he would have a nervous breakdown if it wasn't for Kara…"

I winced. If there was one person I was most sorry for hurting, it was Maxie. Our brother. Imagine having to watch your two younger sisters fall to what seems like certain death…at the same time.

"And, God, I don't think I've ever seen Fred and Nick so serious. And Mirror…she had the most violently physical reaction. If it wasn't for Kai…and the fact she broke her leg…I think she would've blown Ray into pieces. She was furious. They had to sedate her."

I thought about how relaxed Mi had seemed as Kai drew on her cast. Then the image of her screaming and yelling and spewing out a million and one ways to kill Ray floated in my mind, and it seemed exactly like her.

I'm just glad she's all right now.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone," I mumbled.

"I know," he replied, "You only did what you thought was necessary. And it worked, Lils. You saved her. You saved your sister."

I did.

I saved Holly.

It never occurred to me to look at it like that. I was too busy feeling the pain of her attempted suicide.

"Of course," Johnny continued dryly, "That didn't stop me having my own breakdown."

My breath hitched. There was the answer to my question.

"I…"

"The day you woke up," he muttered, "I couldn't handle it. I went home, and I broke down. I couldn't go back. I couldn't see you like that. It hurt too much."

"Johnny…"

"Mom and Jessie went to visit," he said, abruptly changing the subject. I let him. "When you were still comatose. They didn't take it so well, either. Jessie thinks of you as an older sister, and Mom…well, you know how much she dotes on you…"

"Johnny, I love you." I said unexpectedly.

There was a pause before he replied.

"I love you too Willow."

"Good," I sniffed, "Now get your ass over here. And Anya and Jessie. I don't want them worrying."

"Alright." He said with a slight laugh. "See you in a few."

"Yeah. See you."

I hung up, replacing the receiver and smiling slightly to myself.

When the McGregors arrived, I hugged Jessie first, assured her I was going to be okay. I was then swept up in the tight embrace of Anya, who grumbled at me for scaring the hell out of her before letting me go and pushing me towards Johnny.

For the next ten minutes, all we could do was kiss each other desperately in a crowded hallway of the hospital. He pulled away and whispered,

"I love you."

And I knew everything was going to be all right.

* * *

"COME ON!"

"FUCK!"

"DON'T SWEAR!"

I laughed as Holly's indignant shriek echoed behind me, no matter how much she had changed, she still refused to say the word 'fuck'.

"Are you sure you got everything?" I asked Holly as I jumped over a stray bag, "Passport? Phone? Plane ticket? Knickers?"

"WILLOW!"

I giggled.

"I've got everything, THANK YOU!" she said huffily, struggling to keep up with my fast pace, even though she wasn't carrying anything except her shoulder bag, whereas I had her sports bag and Kai and Tala were carrying her suitcases. "You were there when I packed, remember?"

"Enough chat, MORE RUNNING!" Tala yelled over his shoulder at us.

Both of us burst out laughing, but we picked up our pace. Finally, we all skidded into the check in area, tripping over each other and the bags and ending up in a knotted pile. Holly seemed to be the only one that had avoided it, leaping over us and slamming her plane ticket onto the desk of the check in.

"Close call." The attendant smiled, taking her plane ticket and passport. "Don't worry, you have another half hour until boarding starts, its check in you nearly missed."

Holly gave a relieved sigh, and I managed to untangle myself from Kai and Tala.

"Jesus," I muttered, "Who would've thought that _Holly _wouldn't be early for anything?"

"It's Tala's fault!" Holly protested.

"Yeah, having one last shag when you were meant to be leaving the house!" Kai grinned, dumping a suitcase on the conveyor belt.

Both Holly and Tala turned red.

I followed Kai's example, ditching the sports bag, and Tala followed suite.

"Alright," Holly said, once she had been checked in, "Now we just have to wait for the others to get here."

As soon as she said it, a crowd of teenagers appeared in our line of sight, walking rather briskly, despite the fact that one of them, namely Kara Hiwatari, was six months pregnant and incapable of walking very quickly.

"Heya!" Mirror crowed as they approached us, "Did you get here on time?"

"Yeah." I replied.

"Good, good." Mi said happily, hugging Kai even though she had only seen him five minutes ago, just before Holly, me, Kai and Tala took off in a run because we realized the time.

It was cute, anyway.

"Bloody hell," Kara huffed, a significant bulge in her stomach, "That reminds me why I get driven to school nowadays."

Everyone laughed, and Max grinned and kissed her.

There was a pause, in which Kara pouted and then suddenly groaned. "Maxie, get me some picked carrots would you?"

There was a collective amount of eye rolling; everyone was well aware of Kara's sudden cravings, especially for anything pickled. My older brother sighed as he reached into his bag, and pulled out a half empty jar of pickled carrots. Kara happily started munching on them.

I looked around, and then looked at Fred. "Where's Sky and Nick? I thought they were meeting us here?"

"Probably making out in some corner, knowing them," He replied, grinning. "Nick isn't all too happy that Sky's going away for a whole month."

"I don't see what he's complaining about," I grumbled, "Holly's going for _ages_."

"The joys of University, huh?" Fred smiled, patting me on the shoulder, "She'll be fine."

See, Holly passed her senior exams early. As in, with Johnny, Kai and Tala and them lot. So she's off to Harvard. I know it's really early, as in she's several months early, but because she's younger than everyone, she has to take a few supplement tests and stuff. There's a lot of paper work she needs to sort out, so she's leaving for America and is going to stay over at Danny's house until Uni starts. So I won't be seeing her until school ends for me, when I go over there for the holidays.

Since that entire fiasco five months ago, she's been aiming for this, and I'm glad. She's back on track, and off the anti-depressants, finally.

"C'mon, lets get to the boarding gates, yeah?" Holly said, and we all followed her and Tala.

By the time we got there, there was only another fifteen minutes left and Sky and Nick had finally rejoined us.

"Okay," Holly sighed, "Lets do this."

Sky and Holly went around everyone, saying goodbye. There were plenty of hugs and a few tears, especially from Kara, who tended to get over emotional at times, and not to mention violent, as she would hit anyone who mentioned anything about it.

"See ya soon, buddy." Sky muttered in my ear, hugging me tightly.

"Keep in touch. Don't lose your phone!" I told her sternly as we pulled apart.

Sky grinned, and then latched herself onto Nick again.

Figures.

As Holly said goodbye to Kai and Mirror, which consisted of a group hug and a few wise cracks from Mi, I looked up at Johnny, who had an arm wrapped around my waist the entire time. He smiled reassuringly, kissing me on the forehead.

I smiled contentedly, before I saw Holly walk towards me.

"Well…"

I pulled her into a hug. She giggled.

"Go stun some old professors for me, huh?" I said.

"I'll try." She whispered.

Eventually we pulled apart, and Holly reached up to hug Johnny. She muttered something in his ear, and he nodded. I didn't ask.

"Well, I'm just glad New York doesn't have any cliffs…it doesn't, right?" Johnny said, grinning. Holly turned pink and whacked him over the head.

"Flight 213 to Los Angeles, continuing to New York now boarding at Gate 15. Repeat, Flight 213 to Los Angeles, continuing to New York now boarding at Gate 15." Echoed an automaton voice through the tannoy system.

Holly and Sky both groaned.

Sky gave Nick one last kiss before having to literally grab Holly, wrench her away from Tala and drag her to the boarding gates.

"Love you!" Tala yelled after her, as she disappeared from view.

There was silence for a moment, before Holly came hurtling back, crashed into Tala, kissed him thoroughly, muttered a "Love you too." Before Sky appeared as well, sighing as she dragged my sister off again.

Typical.

Tala looked a little dazed.

Aww!

"Come on then, mate." Kai said, grabbing Tala and pulling him away from the gates area.

Johnny took my hand, and we followed the others out of the airport. It was bright out, and quite warm for May. I sighed at the sight of cherry blossoms fluttering in the breeze.

Johnny wrapped his arms around me, and as the others went about trying to remember where they had parked the cars, I stood in my boyfriend's arms. So maybe Jamie wasn't awake. So maybe Holly had left for America to study, leaving me here.

The main point is that I was about as happy as a girl could get.

Considering the circumstances, anyway.

* * *

Well, that's it. Shouldn't be long until I post the epilogue, certainly not as long as a wait for this chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and...

...please review!

Ciao!

Chiya


	34. Epilogue: Never Give Up

Well, this is it. The end, finally. Eye of the Storm has officially been finished. Kinda sad, really, since I'll miss writing Willow's inner thoughts and rants and portraying how often her life can mess up. In fact, I'll just miss Willow. Luckily for me there's always Twilight Friday, another beyblade fic I've just started. Even if Willow isn't the main character in that one, at least she'll be there!

Anyway, my thanks to Truble, for being a great mate, and everyone out there who's stayed fans of this fic, even with my lazy updating. Especially Rising Pheonix, Fairysky and Cascading Iris. You guys rock!

So, here you go. The epilogue!

Disclaimer: Dudes, seriously, if I owned Kai and Johnny and Tala and Max, I WOULD NOT BE HERE!

ENJOY EVERYONE!

---------------**  
**

**Eye of the Storm**

**Epilogue: Never Give Up**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Huh?

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Urgh…wha?

Beep. Beep. Be— 

Hmm. Better. No more noise.

THUMP!

"OWW!" I yelled, as my back collided with the floor, eyes flying open, "FUCK!"

I took a second to allow the little Tweety birds flying around my head to disappear, and then glared up at the grinning face of my boyfriend. He was looking over the edge of the bed, looking very smug and amused.

"Wanker!" I groaned, sitting up.

It was the same thing practically every morning. I swear my back is going to die eventually. Johnny can't keep pushing me off the bed just to wake me up! I don't care if I'm impossible to wake up, damnit!

"You know, one day you'll wake up when the alarm rings, and then you won't end up on the floor, flat on your back." Johnny said, climbing out of bed in his full naked glory. I'm telling you, it's one of the best sights on this Earth, and I get to see it almost every morning! Hehe!

Anyway, I was still mad at him for pushing me off the bed— again! —so I stuck out my leg and efficiently tripped him up. Unfortunately I didn't count on him falling on _me, _so ended up on my back again, head thumping against the carpeted floor.

"Owww." We groaned simultaneously.

"That was your fault." Johnny grumbled.

"Humph." I grumbled back.

It took all of two seconds to realise the compromising position we were in. Suddenly, there was a lecherous grin on my redheaded boyfriend's face.

"Hey. _Hey. _We have things to do you know! Places to be—hmm!" I was cut off by his lips landing on mine, engaging me in a passionate kiss.

Ah, who am I kidding? There's always time for a morning—

"Oh GOD! My eyes! _MY EYES!" _screamed a female voice from somewhere above us and to the right. With a groan, we separated and looked towards to door, only to find it slightly ajar and a familiar figure rushing off down the corridor.

Honestly, Mirror Chang has quite possibly got the worst timing ever. Since me and her have shared this two bedroom flat, she has walked in on me and Johnny more times then I can count.

I rolled my eyes, yawning and stretching under Johnny's naked, warm flesh.

"Better get up then…" Johnny sighed, doing exactly that. I watched lazily as he pulled on his boxers, then a pair of jeans before heading towards the bathroom.

I rolled over, getting dressed in a pair of black jeans and a red tank top. Once I was decently covered, I made my way to the kitchen, where Mirror was grumpily eating her cereal and Kai was rifling through several cardboard boxes in an attempt to find a bowl.

"Morning all." I said cheerfully.

"Have you ever heard of the invention called the lock?" my flatmate shot back at me, cherry eyes narrowed.

"Oh, come on, you just forget to knock all the time." I replied, thanking Kai as he handed me a bowl. "Anyway, it's the last time that's ever gonna happen."

"Oh yeah…" Mirror agreed, pouring another load of cereal into her now empty bowl.

We've lived in this little flat since we started attending New York University, which was three years ago. Johnny and Kai were attending Harvard for two of those years, which meant we only saw them on the weekends, but the last year, since they've graduated, they've been practically living with us. Not to mention all our mates keep dropping in and crashing here. Big size issue.

So, now that we've graduated last month (me with degrees in English and History, and Mi with degrees in Film Studies and Fashion), we're finally moving out. Johnny has an amazing apartment in the centre of New York all ready for the two of us, and Kai has a gorgeous house not that far from us.

Best of all, we'll still be near Kara and Max's house, and Tala and Holly's flat, not that they're ever there. Where are they now? Peru? Aren't they coming back soon?

Eh, who knows.

"When are the trucks getting here?" Mi asked through a yawn.

"In an hour." Kai replied, as I poured some cereal into my bowl.

"Maaaan, that's soon." Mirror groaned.

"Suck it up, hun, yesterday you couldn't wait to get away from me." I grinned, only to receive a face full of left over milk.

Huh…

"MIRROR!"

--------------

I stared blankly at the boxes before me. It was old stuff, things I hadn't touched in years. Stuff from school, really, my high school years all packed into boxes and left to collect dust in the attic of my brother's house. It wouldn't fit in Mirror and mine's old two bedroom apartment.

In fact, it was pretty cramped as it was.

I crouched down next to the nearest one and opened it slowly. Dust billowed into my face, causing me to cough and wave my hand to blow the particles away. Dust sucks. That's all I have to say.

I looked inside, and almost instantly I felt my eyes water. It was my American school years. Pictures upon pictures of the old gang. I flicked through them, smiling fondly at the pictures of Sky and me, my arm around her tiny waist, hers around my shoulders, both of us grinning at the camera like we had just shared a private joke.

And there was one with Danny giving me a piggyback. Hannah and Mya, one of my few friends from back then. Danny, his older brother Chris and our mate Brooklyn.

And then, right at the bottom of that pile, was an old Polaroid picture of Jamie and me. We were happily kissing, arms wound around each other, the sunset in the background. I had once treasured that Polaroid, never letting go of it until we broke up.

Jamie was still in a coma. The chances of him waking up were low, since his brain activity would keep decreasing with the amount of time he lay comatose. But I couldn't give up hope, not ever. I've stopped Mr and Mrs Hearn pulling the plug on him plenty of times, and I've never regretted it.

Because you just don't give up on Jamie. In the end, he always pulls through.

See, here's the thing. I love Jamie, and I always will. There's some part of me that will always belong to him. But my heart? It stays with Johnny. Because no matter what happens, I think I'll always be in love with Johnny McGregor.

"AUNTIE WILLOW!"

I winced. That was my niece's voice, screaming up the ladder. I guess she's just woken up from her nap.

I slipped the Polaroid into my pocket, and then looked over the edge of the hole in the floor, spotting the small, three year old blonde grinning back up at me with large auburn eyes.

"Yo, kiddo," I replied, "How was your nap, huh?"

"I dreamed of paint!" she said happily, "And that I painted Uncle Fred's room pink!"

I laughed uproariously at that one.

My niece, my little shining star, is called Lily Serenity Tate. She also happens to be the most mischievous, smartest little three year old I have ever known. She's a complete genius!

Honestly, all she ever does though is pull pranks. It's bloody hilarious of course, and Fred and Nick do everything in their power to encourage her (much to Kara's annoyance), but sometimes, like when she accidentally-on-purpose dyed Sky's hair a permanent bubblegum pink, I have to tell her off.

Which is no fun, since she can pull off the puppy eye thing much better than Ruby ever could.

Luckily, Sky managed to restyle her bubblegum pink hair, so now it looks pretty cool. Except that it totally clashes with Nick's red hair.

By the way, those two are still going on strong. I mean, okay, they have their spats. In fact, they're constantly having spats, but really, they go so well together when they aren't arguing.

And apparently the make up sex is the best bit.

Which I really didn't wanna know, but, hey, whatever. I kinda have to agree for whenever me and Johnny argue.

Which is fairly often, considering his temper. It's improved… A LOT… but there are still times where it gets the better of him. Fortunately, those times don't come very often.

"Auntie Willow, whatcha doin'?" Lily asked.

"Getting all my old stuff. Wanna come help?"

"Yeah!" she replied enthusiastically.

I climbed down the ladder, since Lily wasn't allowed to climb it by herself, and swooped her into my arms. We managed to get up the ladder without incident. Which is a bloody miracle, when it comes to Lily and me.

I pulled another box towards me, and leaned away as I opened it, learning first time around about the dust clouds that rose upwards. Once such dust clouds had disappeared, I looked inside. It was only old books, school things I didn't really need. I reached for the next box, and it proved fruitless as well.

But the next one just made me want to sob my heart out.

There were pictures again, as well as odd bits and bobs. It from high school, from when I was seventeen and just before all the pain and angst had started.

And there was me and Hols, standing there in the middle, surrounded by all our friends. Tala. Kai. Johnny. Mirror. Kara. Max. Destiny. Mariam. Mariah. Fred. Nick. Ray. Michael. Enrique. Ozuma.

Just everyone.

"Auntie, are you okay?" Lily asked worriedly.

See, genius or what?

"Look, Lilykins." I said softly, showing her the photo, "Who d'you recognise?"

"Mommy!" she said happily, pointing to Kara, "And Daddy!" she then said, pointing to Max, "And Auntie Willow and Auntie Holly, and Aunties Blue and Mimi, and Uncles Kai, Freddie, Nickie, Johnny and Tala!"

I gave a laugh at Lily's nicknames. At least she only called me Auntie Willow, or sometimes Sandy, whenever Sky was around.

I pulled out another picture. It was of me, Sky and Jamie, all chilled out at the lake.

"Auntie Sandy and Auntie Blue!" Lily said happily, "And Uncle Jamie!"

It was funny. The tears spilled over at that point.

Because even though Lily had never really met Jamie, had never talked to him, she adored him. She loved him for saving her parents' lives, something she understood, even at her age. She loved him because I told her constantly about him, about what he was like.

Jamie was, in all essentials, like an unmoving big brother that she always looked up to.

Kara almost had named Jamie godfather, but she had sighed and had instead told me that he would be a second godfather as soon as he woke up, but until then someone else would take on the role.

She shocked us all with her choice.

Fred Lewis.

Yes, I kid you not.

Kara Hiwatari-Tate has officially gone totally bonkers.

But Fred did the job well enough, even if he totally lacked in disciplinary skills. He loved Lily like his own niece, and did his own fair amount of babysitting and spoiling. Fred would make a great father one day, I'm sure of it.

"Auntie Willow, when is Uncle Jamie going to wake up?"

I looked down at my niece.

"I don't know, honey."

---------------

"Oi, oi! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I yelled as Tala and Holly walked towards us, suitcases in tow. Tala grinned in response, giving me a playful punch on the shoulder followed by a hug.

"Cheers, Will!"

"Happy birthday Tala!" Fred and Nick chorused, both slapping him on the back simultaneously. I was surprised they could still do that, even though they had long stopped spending so much time together.

"How was Peru?" I asked my sister, giving her a hug. She had blossomed amazingly over the years, and if she was gorgeous back then, she was simply stunning now.

"Amazing!" she replied, grinning, "D'you know the family that hired me? Honestly, they live in such cramped conditions; I don't know how they managed. Anyway, me and Tala pooled together some money and bought them a nice little villa not far from where they were originally!"

See, my sister is this up and coming lawyer now. She's brilliant at what she does, and gets hired all over the world by both the rich and poor. Her services depend on how much you earn, so anyone can afford her. She's sweet like that.

Of course, it means a lot of rich people get a damned good lawyer without having to spend as much money, but still giving Holly a very nice cheque at the end of it all.

The gist of it? Between Holly's job and Tala's inheritance AND job, they're sodding rich. So occasionally they give things to the poor.

Including villas.

Honestly…

"Did you win the case?" I asked.

"Yep!"

What was I expecting anyway, a NO?

Ha. Yeah, right.

"That's good. Catch some sun?"

Stupid question. She's about as bronzed as a bronze statue.

"Yeah. Not much though. I'm still pretty light."

I looked at her, all brown looking, and looked at my arm, which was only slightly tanned. I was better off than Fred and Nick at any rate, they're about as pale as a ghost. Well, anyway, Holly was tanned. Period.

"How about you? How was the whole moving process? Sorry I couldn't help out, I would've loved to see that apartment Johnny set up for you. I bet it's gorgeous, knowing him. Nothing but the best for his Lils, huh?"

I grinned sheepishly.

"It is gorgeous." I lowered my voice as we left the airport, Fred and Nick effectively keeping Tala's attention, "We're having a surprise birthday party for Tala there, sort of doubling it as a home warming thing as well. Everyone's gonna be there."

"Awesome," She grinned. "Are Kara and Max gonna be there?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, Jools is gonna be watching over Lily. You know, since she can't mix alcohol with her medication?"

"Oh, right."

Julie Raines, a.k.a, Jools, is Fred's two-year girlfriend. I met her at university in my English class, and my God this girl is talented. And smart. Of course, when I first introduced her to Fred, she thought he was an immature idiot, and he thought she was frigid swot who didn't know the meaning of fun. So they hated each other, really.

Of course, they totally ended up falling in love, with me cackling in the background, on the account of setting them up in the first place.

Yes, people, I rock!

Anyway, at the moment she's had a cancer scare so she's on medication. It should turn out fine, but she can't drink at the moment, so she offered to babysit.

"How are things with Johnny?"

"Smooth as it can get." I grinned, and my sister grinned back. She looped her arm through mine.

"We have a surprisingly good life, don't you think?"

"Don't go jinxing it!"

---------------

About an hour into that party, Fred walked up to me, looking slightly intoxicated. He grinned that gorgeous grin of his, his red hair rumpled and sticking out oddly.

"Hey, Cass, hun. I'm gonna head over to Max and Kara's, gonna keep Jools company."

"Oh, right!" I replied, wriggling out of Johnny's lap, and hopping to my feet. I took Fred's hand, so I wouldn't lose him in the crowds, and led him to the front door. It wasn't that hard to find, but I wanted to say goodbye.

I hugged him, kissed him on the cheek, and slipped a muffin into his pocket, a habit I've had for a while now.

"Safe driving!" I grinned, opening the door for him.

"Cheers!" he said happily, "Say bye to everyone for me, and tell Nick he owes me a tenner!" and with that, he trotted down the hallway, pulling out the muffin and biting into it.

"Make sure Lily gets to bed early, I promised I'd take her to see Jamie tomorrow morning!" I yelled after him. After receiving a wave to show he heard, I closed the door, turning back to the party. Almost instantly, Johnny swept me off my feet, giving me a quick kiss.

"Fred left then?"

"Yeah."

"Maaaan, only an hour. I thought he'd be here for another half hour."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Me, Tala and Kai have got a bet going as to when Fred would give up and go back to Jools. You know he doesn't like leaving her, especially with the whole recent cancer scare."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys are so nice." I said sarcastically, "So, who won then?"

"Kai. Bastard."

I snorted. "Aww. Poor Johnny lost his money so very stupidly." I grinned at him, which was met by a playful growl and a sudden, passionate kiss.

Snap! 

"Brilliant!" Mirror crowed, holding up her Polaroid camera, clasping another picture in her other hand. She handed it to me, grinning brightly. It was of me and Johnny, kissing passionately, looking so bloody happy I thought it was almost impossible that it had only been taken a second ago.

"Cheers, Mi." I whispered, and slipped it into my pocket. It settled next to that old Polaroid picture of me and Jamie, taken so long ago.

"Are you alright, hun?" Mi asked worriedly, spotting the sad, nostalgic look on my face.

I forced myself to rearrange my features into a happy one. "Yeah, of course! Just thinking. Obviously someone needs to get me another double vodka and coke!"

Mirror laughed, slinging her arm around me. "Come on then, chica! LETS PARTY!"

Holly was right. Besides the whole Jamie thing, life was pretty good.

But it was about to get so much better.

---------------

It was dark, save a glowing bright light in the far distance. How long had he been running? How long had he been in the dark, reaching towards a light that never got closer?

He tried to remember something. Anything. Anything before he became stuck in this weird, dark, never-ending world. But there was nothing but a blast of pain and a pair of distraught, bright green eyes filled with tears.

He shook his head, as much as a person could shake their head in a non-physical world. Sometimes, he would catch snatches of a face along with those green eyes, but it faded almost as soon as it came. Other times, he caught something else, distant voices. They were too far away to make out the words, but all he knew that it varied. A male, a female. A child.

Then something changed.

The light, so far in the distance, pulsed, grew bigger. A voice, child-like, grew louder in his ears. He began running again, reaching out towards the light. Just a little further, he urged himself, just a little more—

He collided with the light.

Then he remembered.

And Jamie Hearn woke up.

He sat up sharply, not even wincing as his muscles protested at such sudden movements after so long of being out of it, only to find a small blonde girl falling off his lap in surprise.

"Eep!" squeaked the girl, as she landed with a thump on her butt. Jamie waited for the wails, as kids were wont to do when they fell over, but none came.

"Er…are you alright?" Jamie asked, his voice slightly hoarse from disuse. He leaned over the edge of his bed, looking at the surprised blonde.

She simply stared at him with huge auburn eyes.

"You…woke up?" she whispered.

"Guess so." Jamie replied, frowning. What in the name of seven hells was going on? Where was he? The hospital? Fair enough. But the kid…who was she?

"Uncle Jamie woke up?" she continued, clambering to her feet.

Uncle…WHAT?

"Wowie!" she squealed, clambering back onto the bed again and throwing her arms around his neck, "Uncle Jamie woke up! Mommy said you weren't going to wake up, cos it had been too long, but we shouldn't tell Auntie, cos then she would get sad. Mommy said Auntie hadn't given up! But everyone else had. But Auntie was right, so ha, there Mommy, Auntie knows better!"

Jamie stared.

Auntie? Uncle?

_Mommy?_

What?

"Whoa, kiddo, slow down," Jamie said hastily, as the girl removed her arms and grinned up at him. He had to admit, she was adorable. Shoulder length blonde hair, auburn eyes he was sure he recognised from somewhere, and the cutest little grin. "What's your name?"

"Lily!" she said cheerfully.

He instantly thought of that fifteen year old who had once grinned and kissed him. Sandy _Lily_ Tate.

"What's your full name, Lily?" he asked softly.

"Lily Serenity Tate!"

Tate.

_Tate._

How long had he been out?

Was it long enough for _her_ to have…a child? To get…married…?

But Lily looked nothing like her. Well, besides that cute, mischievous look, and they had some family resemblance…wait. Blonde hair. Auburn eyes. God, he was stupid. He'd only been shot to protect the one girl he knew that had auburn eyes.

Kara.

Jamie sighed in relief. Thank God. He wasn't that out of it.

"Max and Kara's kid, huh?" Jamie said to Lily, who was still grinning up at him.

"Yep!" she said proudly, "That's me."

"What're you doing here all alone?" Jamie frowned.

"I'm not!" Lily replied, wriggling off the bed, "I'm here with Auntie. She just went to get something to eat."

Auntie. God, there's two people that could be. Could it…?

"Your Auntie. What's her name?" Jamie asked hoarsely.

"Auntie Willow, of course!"

And with that, she skipped out of the room. The blonde looked back and forward, before skipping happily down the corridor, stopping momentarily to wave at the nice receptionist who had handed her a sweet earlier. Finally, she spotted who she was looking for, and hurtled up to her.

"Auntie Willow!" she cried, "Uncle Jamie looks confused."

The black haired woman currently standing at a vending machine and attempting to get the coke she had paid for out of the machine, simply nodded and said "Uh huh."

"But he has pretty eyes." Lily continued.

"Hmm." Willow Tate agreed, glaring at the vending machine. After a well-aimed kick, the machine sputtered out a coke, which the green eyed woman took happily. She looked down at her niece/goddaughter. "I thought I told you to stay with Jamie, Lilykins?"

"I did, but he moved!"

Willow sighed. "Lily, he's asleep, remember? It might be a while til—"

"But he's not asleep!" Lily protested as Willow took her hand.

"Alright, so he's unconscious," Willow smiled, "Jesus, d'you have to be such a smart-ass? You're only three years old. Normal kids can just about speak a sentence at that age, not notice the different between asleep and unconscious—"

"Auntie!" Lily yelled, but to no avail. No matter, they were heading back to the room anyway.

"Must be the genes Holly got. Super human intelligence or something annoying like that." Willow continued, running a hand through her jaw length black hair.

Lily pouted, pulling on her aunt's hand to make her walk faster.

"What's your hurry, Lilykins?" The twenty one year old asked amusedly, looking down at the toddler. Lily simply let out a groan at the wise-ass type of air adults always emitted, and continued to pull of her hand. Finally, they reached the room, but Willow stopped to struggle with the particularly stubborn coke. Lily almost wanted to stomp her foot and throw a tantrum, but she knew it wouldn't help.

Finally, Lily grew impatient and simply yanked on Willow's hand, causing her to stumble forward and land against the door, which fell open. Willow just about remained on her feet, and turned to Lily.

"Lily! What on the earth was that for? You don't just—" the black haired woman stopped when Lily simply ran past her, hopping on Jamie's lap again, who was watching with slightly wide eyes.

And there was Willow Tate, in full glory.

Jamie could only stare.

Willow huffed, turning around, opening her mouth to admonish Lily, but stopped.

The coke hit the floor.

"OH MY GOD!"

**THE END**


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